Green Sun, Black Shadows
by Writer of a Thousand Stories
Summary: "Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven". He always loved that quote. Now, looking down at the city of brass and basalt illuminated by a green sun he understood why: it has always been his destiny to be there. Code Geass/Exalted fusion.
1. Chapter 1

**Dislaimer:** I do not own Code Geass, which is propriety of Studio Sunrise, and neither do I own Exalted, which is property of White Wolf Publishing.

This fiction originally appeared as a quest-style story on the forum Sufficient Velocity. As such do not be confused by the strange structure.

* * *

 **Fiendish Advent - Act 1**

{●}

 _BANG!_

The blood felt scathing hot on Lelouch's skin, almost like acid melting and gnawing at his bones. Until he realized the crimson liquid came not from the dead girl lying at his feet but it was his own, and that the sudden pain in his right shoulder was because the bullet that pierced straight through her skull grazed it.

She was dead. He didn't even know her name and yet she took a bullet destined for him like it was nothing. She was dead.

And it was Lelouch's fault.

"I've would preferred to take her alive." The scar-faced captain scoffed before looking down at Lelouch with an infuriating smirk. "This is what we are going to tell the higher-ups: 'We, His Highness's personal unit, found the terrorist base and destroyed it. However, the hostages had already been executed by the time we got there'."

But Lelouch wasn't listening: he was thinking about Suzaku. The two of them finally met after seven years, only for Suzaku to be killed because he refused the order to shoot Lelouch.

"What do you think about that, boy? Tragic, but so it's life."

Then those innocent Elevens, slaughtered like cattle because he escaped with the girl. Now she was dead too, and soon he will die too.

The last in the long list of failures that was Lelouch's life.

When he demanded the Emperor to avenge his mother's murder exile was all he received.

When Suzaku became his friend Japan was taken by surprise by Britannia because his value as hostage was completely disregarded.

When he met Suzaku he lost him again almost immediately because the idiot refused an order for his sake.

A complete stranger sacrificed her life to save his own, and he didn't even know how to feel about that.

"What's going on, cat got your tongue? That's fine I guess." The captain aimed again his gun at the raven-haired youth.

Failure after failure after failure. Everything happened because of him, because he was too weak to do something.

And now he was going to commit his last and most ignominious failure. He was going to die there, without being able to do anything.

Leaving his sister alone, blind and crippled in a world without respect for the weak and her heart broken because she has only him to rely on.

 _'It's all my fault.'_ He thought in despair. _'My fault, because I am weak!'_

"Any last words boy?"

 **"How about 'look behind you'?"**

The sound of tearing flesh, and Lelouch felt the crushing despair and self-loathing that plagued his mind take a backseat at the utterly bizarre sight of a pair of _giant fangs_ popping out of the scarred captain's chest.

 **"Surprise! Go get them boys!"**

The soldiers didn't even have the time to react to the gruesome death of their commander before strange forms shimmered into existence like holograms and attacked them with such speed and ferocity all they could do was scream in agony.

Lelouch watched in horror, and a little bit of awe, as the forms turned out to be giant spiders the size of a grown man, their bodies covered in silver and green fur and their limbs more akin to swords than something supposedly made of chitin. They savagely stabbed the soldiers before biting their throats and ripping them off, chewing a few times before swallowing. Then they lowered their heads and sucked the spewing blood.

It was honestly too much. "Bluaarh!" He fell on all fours and emptied his stomach.

 **"That's enough boys."** A strong, rugged and authoritative voice barked. The spiders stopped their carnage and parted away, allowing the owner to slowly move towards Lelouch: it was another giant spider, maybe a bit bigger than the rest, its fur colored green and black with some patches of white near the head that, somehow, brought to mind the image of an aged veteran. Seven pupiless red eyes stared right at the youth, the eighth one white from a scar, a cold and calculating intelligence emanating from them. Around its abdomen it wore a belt covered with various pockets.

Lelouch didn't even try to move, too entranced by the strangeness of everything to even contemplate doing something that it wasn't kneeling in a puddle of hi own vomit. The monstrous being came a few feet from him and stopped, allowing the boy's nose to pick up a faint smell of cinnamon and...tobacco?

The spider used its front limbs, each with a three-digited claw at the end, to take out from one pocket a lighter and a cigar, putting the latter in its mouth before lighting it up. It took a mouth full of smoke and blew it in the air before looking back at him. **"Sup, lil' wuss. Done wasting perfectly good food?"**

His brain kind of short-circuited. " _WHAT?!_ "

 **"I mean this."** It grabbed a piece of half-digested hamburger Lelouch had for lunch before tossing it behind, where one of the spider caught with its mouth and swallowed. The sight was enough to set off the boy's stomach again, but he was interrupted by the spider slapping him. **"Stop it. You're too skinny to think you can diet."**

That was the last straw for Lelouch: he pushed himself back on his feet and tried to kick the monster, but it dodged effortlessly. "Who do you think you are?! What are you?"

The spider chuckled. Seeing a spider doing something so human-like was totally _wrong_. **"Name's Seyrun kid. And for what I am..."** It took another long drag from the cigar before gesturing to the other spiders, who were watching in silence. **"I am the boss of those good boys here."** They cheered at the praise as it exhaled the smoke. **"I'm also someone with an offer for you."**

"An offer?" Lelouch replied, now cautious.

 **"You don't think I saved your ass out of the goodness of my heart, do you?"** Seyrun chuckled again before its voice takes on a more serious tone, like it was rehearsing a speech repeated a thousand times. **"On behalf of my masters I am here to offer you the power to right your failures and reclaim what is rightfully yours."**

 _'Too good to be true.'_ "What's the price?"

 **"Not your free will if that's your fear."** It stoped to smoke again. **"Simply put, you will work for my masters. You'll be given orders and you'll be expected to follow them. You'll be held accountable for failures. Beside that you can do anything you want. I scratch your back, you scratch mine: that sorta thing."** It tilted its head. **"Savy?"**

His eyebrow twitched. The spider was really starting to get on his nerves. "Who are your masters?"

 **"They created the world."**

"Are they Gods?"

 **"No. They** ** _made_** **the Gods. But I don't think you'll recognize something even if I start listing all the details."** It sighed with a hint of...sorrow? **"Creation has changed so much. So, so very much."**

"Creation?"

 **"How the world was called in the past. Because it's the creation of my masters."**

"Do they have a name?"

 **"The Yozi. They who once were the Primordials."**

"Were? What happened to them?"

Seyrun shifted uncomfortably, mirrored by the other spiders. **"They were betrayed. Those who were meant to serve them conspired with two traitors. Together they made things tailor made to defeat them. Things that make the impossible possible. There was a great war. Some died, the others were imprisoned. What I am offering you is one of those things."**

Lelouch considered the offer. Seyrun's tale iswas outlandishly, yet he saw with his own eyes the strength of those creatures. Either teleportation or invisibility, it was a power Britannia would have no countermeasures against. To be able to wield it himself... "What is the overall nature of my contract? There is no way they are offering away something so powerful just to get a new soldier."

 **"A smart one. I like that."** It smirked before taking a long drag from the already half-burn through cigar. **"To free and restore them to their rightful place. That's the end goal, but we're all doing our parts already. We call it the Reclamation."**

Cigar held in a claw Seyrun released a cloud of smoke. **"And what exactly is your part...Well, I was told you have a certain bone to pick up with the place those suckers are from."** One of its rear limbs stabbed straight a soldier's severed hand. **"Isn't that right, Lelouch vi Britannia?"**

The youth recoiled as if slapped from the surprise. "How do you know that?"

 **"The one who send me and my boys here told me."** It frowned. At least Lelouch thought it was a frown. **"Said you would need help. He was right."**

"Who is he?"

 **"One of my masters. Don't ask me his name!"** It suddenly shouted. **"I don't want to jinx myself."**

He frowned. "What else he said?"

 **"He knows you wants to take vengeance against Britannia."** The cigar was almost completely consumed. **"He is okay with that. Britannia is our enemy too. You will be given power, information and all the resources needed. How you deal with it is up to you...but whatever is left will then serve the Reclamation's goals. You will become a general. He said you have the brains for the role."** The way Seyrun was looking at Lelouch, it was almost like the spider was raising a non-existent eyebrow. **"Do you?"**

He scowled. "Of course." He paused to think again. "What happen if I say no?"

It shruged. **"Nothing."**

"Nothing?"

 **"Nothing. We just pack up and leave you here."**

"Which happens to be a warzone." He glared at the spider. "It doesn't look like a great choice."

 **"At least you have a chance to survive, albeit small. Unlike me."**

"What do you mean?"

Seyrun pointed at itself. **"That thing I said? It's inside me. It's** ** _killing_** **me. Setting up our meeting took a lot of time. If you refuse I will not have enough time to find another candidate before** ** _blowing up_** **. And believe me, I am completely replaceable so no safety measures."**

Lelouch swallowed, unnerved by how calm the spider was while talking about its death. "...It's not fair."

Seyrun shruged again. **"Life is not fair kid. Never was, probably never will be."**

He looked at the other spiders. "What will happen to them?"

 **"If you accept they will serve you. I asked and was granted this boon."** It smirked. **"They're good boys. Hunters and killers, the best of the best."** The spiders cheered again. **"Also good at sewing, in the case you need it."**

"Sewing?"

 **"Spiders."**

"Oh."

And then silence. Lelouch let it drag out for a full minute before posing a final question. "Why me?"

 **"Because you have** ** _potential_** **kid."** Seyrun replied. **"And the Yozi want it."**

That, more than anything, settled the whole matter for the ex-prince. "Very well!" He shouted, his open palm pointed forward. "I hereby accept the terms of your contract!"

 **"Good to hear."** Seyrun looked at its fully consumed cigar, sighed and tossed it away. **"I'm going to miss it."**

Then it jumped at Lelouch, turned outside out and wrapped around his body in a wave of flesh.

The remaining spiders gathered around and stared at the quickly forming cocoon. "Is this going to take long? We aren't exactly in a safe zone." One of them asked aloud.

"Don't worry. I heard it once took five days, but now things are better and it only takes fifty minutes." Another replied.

"Look at this!" A spider was holding a machine gun in its front claws. "This is the biggest firewand I have ever seen!"

"You dumbass! That's a gun, not a firewand."

"What's the difference?"

A shrug. "No idea."

In that moment a Knightmare Frame bursted into the hangar. "What happened he-Oh my God what are those things?!"

All the spiders turned to face it.

{●}

You dream of darkness. A great oily abyss, the shadow of some great foul dragon slithering at the edges of your perception. It whispers of dark secrets and corruption, of worthless virtues and the power of lies over a cold, harsh and uncaring reality. A part of you resonates with those words, frightened by the dragon's presence and yet drinking deeply from its wisdom.

Yet the rest is not.

You feel another presence approach, the dragon slithering away. If in fear or something else, you cannot tell. You fall out of the darkness, the part of yourself that didn't resonate with the dragon reacting to the new presence.

And then-

"Big Brother! Mother! Hurry up!" Nunnally calls you, hands behind her as she walks backward to look in your direction, an infectious happy smile on her face as the wind make the petals from the flower field dancing around her.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" You huff in mock irritation. True you're exhausted, but there is no way you could stay mad with Nunnally in such a good mood.

"Already out of breath Lelouch? Maybe I should start making you exercise with Suzaku." You wince at your mother's far-too-cheerful remark. More than anything you can't believe she is able to outrun you in a gown so voluminous.

"T-That's not it!" You protest, trying to salvage part of your pride. "It's...It's the shoes! They are too tight, it's killing my feet!"

"Didn't you buy them two months ago?" Suzaku calls you out on your, admittedly, poor excuse.

"Traitor!" You try to punch him but he just dodges before running ahead to reach Nunnally, laughing all the while.

"Come on, don't fight." Nunnally giggles before her eyes widen and she points to something behind you. "Big Brother! Could you get my wheelchair? I forgot it."

"Nunnally, what are you talking about?" You decide to humor her and turn around. "You don't have a whe-"

Blood.

Blood. Blood. Blood.

There is blood everywhere.

Halfway the stairs is the bullet-ridden body of your mother, her lightless eyes like those of a dead fish. Under her is Nunnally, eyes widen in absolute terror as she tries to breath despite the incredible pain from her mangled legs.

You fall back on your rear, the scene too much for your fragile ten years old self. You turn around to ask for help, to ask Suzaku-

Just in time to see a Britannian soldier press a gun to his nape and shoot, execution style. Around them other Britannians are firing on fleeing Elevens, while in the background planes are raining bombs on a city.

"...How could I forget?" Feeling wetness on your cheek you scrub it, and aren't too surprised to see it's not blood, like the one staining your student uniform, but tears. "Mother and Suzaku are dead. And Nunnally...Nunnally will never run or see the sun rising ever again. This is reality, not the world where we are all happy together."

You sob, the pain and sadness you always conceal finally spilling out. "I'm a fool. Such a world...such a world is impossible."

 _WHO SAY THAT?_

You lurch backward by a sudden recoil, like what happen when driving a car and stopping abruptly, and fall on your back. You're not in a warzone anymore, but a great cathedral made of brass and multicolored glass, every surface twisted and warped into alien shapes that seem to constantly shift while remaining the same, your head hurting at the impossibility just be looking at it. The ceiling opens into seven great towers, viridian light seeping from some opening too far to see.

And then the floor vanishes and reappears under your feet in an instant, gravity and the surroundings following behind after a second as if caught off guard. Miraculously you don't lose balance.

Suddenly in front of you is...you don't know how to describe it. It looks like a gout of blazing, shimmering rainbows shaped in the silhouette of a person. The only inconsistency is a pair of human lips stretched into a wry, knowing smile and even then the smile is too wide, the teeth too sharp to be human.

"Who are you?" You demand.

"Who are you?" The thing parrots back in your voice, its lips unmoving.

"I asked it first!"

"Liar."

"I'm n-"

"Liar Liar. Liar." The thing is suddenly in your face, your bodies almost touching. Just the thought makes the hair on your back stand up. "You're a liar. Lelouch vi Britannia is dead: little Euphy cried at his funeral."

It disappears, the voice now coming from behind you. "Lelouch Lamperouge never really existed. It's a falsity created by Ruben Ashford out of money."

It reappears in front of you upside-down, both of you standing on the floor _because where did the walls and ceiling go?_ and there is only the _floor floor floor floor floor floor floor repeat everything seven times._ "You're a contradiction Lelouch. Something that should have ended and yet still live." Its voice is tearing apart, becoming less like yours with every letter uttered. "Something that has no past and yet still exist. This make you... _interesting_."

The head tilts to the side, the entire reality spinning in the opposite direction. "But this doesn't make you a liar. Do you know why you are a liar Lelouch?"

Your mental faculties having abandoned you a while ago, all you can do is shake your head.

"You're a liar because you said the world you want is impossible. **I/We/You/Them/Nobody/Everyone/Someone** decide what is possible and what is impossible. **So Speak the Lord of Not**."

At the thing's words rage is rekindled in your heart, pain and hate purging your confused mind and leaving behind clarity. "What do you know?! They killed my mother! Crippled my sister! Stripped me of my title! Destroyed my home! Murdered my only friend!" Your hands are clenched so hard the bones could be heard groaning. "My whole life until now has been a prison I couldn't escape, every day living in fear of what would happen were someone to learn my sister and I are still alive!"

 **"WHAT DO YOU KNOW OF PRISONS?!"** The thing suddenly bellows in fury, the sound akin to the roar of a great dragon. The world around you fractures and shatters, leaving you and it floating in a vortex of kaleidoscopical light. **"YOU, WHO CAN STILL MOVE? YOU, WHOSE BODY IS WHOLE? YOU, WHO CAN STILL EXPERIENCE THE WORLD?"**

The thing's body explodes, expanding into a large seven pointed star. **"THEY CAST ME DOWN! HELD DOWN MY LIMBS AND BROKE THEM!"**

The seven arms of the star break into many fragments that still retain their overall shape. At the same time you fell your own limbs explode in agony.

 **"THEN THEY WRAPPED AND FUSED THEM AROUND ME, CAGING MYSELF INTO MY OWN BODY! IMPRISONED FOR SEVEN TIMES SEVEN THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED SEVENTY SEVEN YEARS!"**

The star wraps around itself, forming an egg-like mountain. As it does you are assaulted by a panicked feeling of unbearable confinement and claustrophobia, your mind conjuring horrible images of being sealed inside a coffin.

 **"I, WHO IS THE FIRSTBORN! I, WHO DECIDED WHAT IT IS OF CREATION AND WHAT IS NOT! I, WHO WAS MORE UNIQUE AND MORE FREE THAN ANYONE ELSE!"**

Then everything ceases and you're on your knees, the thing back in human-like form crouching in front of you, the smile inverted into a frown.

Your body is breaking into _seven_ pieces, your mind pulling in _seven_ different directions.

It's a miracle you're not yet a drooling wreck.

"ARE YOU GOING TO LET THEM LAUGH?"

"...Who?"

"THE ONES WHO BETRAYED YOU. WHO STRIPPED YOU OF WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT. ARE YOU GOING TO LET THEM ENJOY THE HAPPINESS CREATED OUT OF YOUR MISERY?"

...Oh. That's right...

 _I hereby accept the terms of your contract!_

You **accepted**.

You grind your teeth. "No."

"YOU SAID THE WORLD YOU DESIRE IS IMPOSSIBLE. WHY?"

Your pupils contract. "Britannia. As long as Britannia exists my world will never be possible."

"THEN WHAT WOULD YOU DO?"

"The only thing to do!" You shout and push yourself back on your feet, the _other_ mirroring your actions. "I will destroy Britannia!"

"THEY SAY ONLY A MADMAN CAN THINK OF DEFEATING BRITANNIA."

"Then so be it!" You spread your arms. "If madness is what it takes to do the impossible and create a peaceful world, _then I will be more mad than anyone else!_ "

Silence. Neither you nor the _other_ speak for seven seconds.

And then the smile is back, larger than the whole head.

"A LAST QUESTION. WHO I AM?"

You speak with absolute certainty. "You're a Yozi."

"CORRECT."

The next instant the _other's_ hands are on both side of your head, its touch like vitriol on your skin.

The lips part, seven eyes of seven different colors staring _through_ you.

 _I AM ORAMUS, THE DRAGON BEYOND THE WORLD. YOU HAVE MY BLESSING_

 _GO FORTH AND IN MY NAME DEFY THE NATURAL ORDER_

{●}

The chrysalis burst open in a shower of brass, quicksilver and unearthly kaleidoscopic light. The spiders retreated in awe and reverence as Lelouch stepped outside of it with the confidence and posture of a king, green fire covering his body without marring flesh.

A passing breeze caused him to shudder. Looking down he frowned. "Why I am naked?"

 **"Yeah, clothes are not supposed to survive that."**

He felt more than hear the voice in his head. His frown deepened. _'Why are you in my head?'_

It said a lot about what he had to go through in the last few hours than a voice talking in his head didn't freak him out. Even if said voice was the one of the giant spider that apparently _fused_ with his body.

 **"That's part of the package. They stuck knowledge in my head, then stuck me in your head so I can tell you what do you need to know, offer advices and all that stuff."**

 _'Can you mess with my mind?'_

 **"Absolutely not. I'm just a witness, whatever happen inside your brain is your doing only."**

 _'For your sake, I hope you're not lying.'_ Lelouch told it, no _him_ imperiously. _'So, Seyrun was it?'_

 **"Yep. Nice to meet you Boss."**

 _'Boss? You changed attitude pretty quickly.'_

 **"You accepted the deal. This make you a Green Sun Prince, a Peer of the City."**

 _'Later you will explain what those titles mean, and everything else you skipped over. Now...'_

Lelouch looked at the assembled spiders before his eyes caught the sight of a Sutherland he was totally sure wasn't there when he blanked out. _'How do I command them?'_

 **"Just give them orders. Be harsh and firm: they're good boys, but nothing makes an Anuhle work better than the thread of violence."**

Curious. But if that was what work, who was he to disappoint them?

"You all!" He pointed to the group of spider, apparently called Anuhles, and spoke with a commanding tone. "From now on you will follow my, Lelouch vi Britannia, orders! Understood?"

"YES BOSS!" They all shouted in unison and obvious excitement.

"Good. Now tell me why there is a Knightmare Frame here and what it is doing." He pointed to the Sutherland, now noticing the cockpit was open with the pilot nowhere to be seen..

The spiders looked at him in confusion. "Knightmare Frame? You mean that shoddy Warstrider?"

 **"A Knightmare is a big suit of armor with machinery inside and a place for a guy to pilot it, correct? A Warstrider is the same, but bigger and stronger."**

Lelouch nodded. "Yes, I mean that. What is it doing here?"

 **"It was me! Me!"** A spider stepped closer. **"I was waiting dematerialized just in case. When that tin can showed up I noticed there wasn't any protection so I slip inside and ZACK!"** He mimesd piercing something with his claw.

 _'No teleportation or invisibility, but intangibility?'_ "Where is the pilot?"

He looked at Lelouch.

"There was a human inside. Where it is?"

 **"Ah!"** He skittered away for a dozen of seconds before returning and handing to him a long lock of blueish teal colored hair.

"...That's all that remains of it, isn't it?"

The spider nodded energetically.

Lelouch's eyebrow twitched. "We will talk about when it is acceptable to eat corpses and when it isn't later. Now gather everything that could be useful!"

With a chorus of _"Yes!"_ they went to do their work. _'The Activation Key should still be there and the system active. I can use it. Now-'_ He looked down and, yes, he was still naked. _'I need clothes.'_

 **"Easy. Now it's the time to tell you about some of the benefits you got out of the deal. One moment...ah, here it is. A trick to look however you like: step into the sun, channel Essence into your shadow and pull it over yourself while thinking of how you want to appear to others."**

 _'Essence?'_

 **"The juice that let people use magical powers. Guys like you have both an internal and external source. Remember that green fire? It's your Anima: it comes out when you draw a lot of Essence from the external source. The internal source is smaller, but it doesn't flare your Anima."**

 _'I see.'_ Seyrun's words made something _clicks_ inside Lelouch's brain, like a half-forgotten memory, and suddenly he **knew**.

He stepped into the light created by a shattered window, visualized an image in his head, his own shadow under it, and finally **commanded it into reality**.

Lelouch's shadow retracted under his feet and swirled up around his body like wetless water for a moment before depositing itself back into its normal position. Leaving the youth dressed in a Britannian foot-soldier suit complete with headgear under his arm. Reflected into the latter's visor was not Lelouch's face but that of an absolutely average brown-haired Britannian.

 **"Good job Boss! Now, even if very convincing your clothes are still not real, so they can't offer much protection."**

"They'll do for now." Lelouch noted something on the ground: it was the radio he stole when inside the terrorist's camion. On a whim he picked up and turned it on.

 _*BZZZ* "Ohgi! Oghi! Guys are you still alive?"_

 _"Kallen! Thank God you're okay! Where were you? What happened?"_

 _"The battery pack of the Glasgow ran out and I was forced to leave it. What's the situation there?"_

 _"Not good. It's a massacre here! Men and the others are hiding in an hangar with a bunch of civilians."_

He kept listening until the two, Ohgi and Kallen (who he was almost sure was the pilot of the red Glasgow) agreed on a meeting point. At that point he turned the radio off.

They were going to die. That was the pure and simple truth. There was no way a bunch of terrorists can win against the Britannian Army...unless he helped them. They would provide a fine tool to reach Clovis and have a... **talk** with him.

 _'Seyrun, how does this intangibility ability work?'_ He asked his advisor?

 **"When we are in Creation being dematerialized is our natural state. We can materialize and become tangible only by spending a lot of Essence. Switching back to dematerialized state is quick and free however."**

 _'Alright. And how do one regain Essence?'_

 **"It will replenish itself over time, but there are ways to speed up the process. For Anuhles we can either eat other spirits, but there is none here - I checked, not even a God of Carnage - or we can eat fresh meat and drink blood."**

 _'Oh joy, more cannibalism. Might as well check.'_ "Do any of you have enough Essence to materialize again if you go incorporeal?" A chorus of 'No' was the answer. He shook his head in irritation. "Alright, let's move on." It was time to fill some footsoldiers for the Anuhles to... **consume.**

{●}

A platoon of Britannian soldiers was returning to the G-1 Base after cleaning their assigned base when a Sutherland bearing the Pureblood's insignia approached them. "Who's in command here?" The pilot asked from the speakers.

"Sir!" The official saluted, quickly followed by all the other soldiers. "Second Lieutenant Steve Harper at your orders sir!"

The Knightmare gestured to a building to its right. "A bunch of Elevens hid there. Go inside and take care of them."

"Yes My Lord." The Lieutenant and the soldiers obeyed the order with the zeal of true patriots.

The screams began after the last soldier walked into the building.

"What do you know? It doesn't feel nearly as bad as I thought it would be." Lelouch commented.

 **"It's better this way Boss. No corpse, no chances of Hungry Ghosts happening."** Seyrun spit. **"Accursed creatures of Death."**

That gave him pause. _'...Ghosts are real?'_

 **"Sure. Look there to the right."** He did as he was told, the Factsphere revealing some strange symbols draw with chalk on a wall. **"That's a ward against ghosts. I don't know what possessed humans to live in a place that's halfway to being a Shadowland, but wards like those are the sole reason Hungry Ghosts don't eat them during the night."**

Lelouch didn't doubt Seyrun's words, but that raised the question of why nobody knew about stuff like this. Unless, of course, there was a masquerade enforced like in that book Rivalz gave him as a gift for his sixteen birthday?

 **"There is."**

 _'...Seriously?'_

 **"Yes. It's a bit more complicated than that however. I'll explain later."**

Lelouch had the feeling that, by the end of the day, a lot of his old plans to take down Britannia will be revised. Or just scrapped.

Once all the spiders confirmed that they have enough Essence he send two groups of seven each of them to begin seizing Knightmares from their Britannian pilots, a gift to the terrorists so they may fight. Luck evidently shined on him, because not only the spiders encountered groups of Knightmares almost immediately and killed the pilots without problems, but all the Sutherlands were fully armed and the cartridges full. They must have been owned by high-ranked nobles.

Once that was done, and all 14 frames hidden safely, he sent one group to observe the enemy command center, in order to gather information and to report back to him anything they may find.

"This is a strictly reconnaissance." Lelouch told the seven, feeling a vague sense of approval for choosing that number "Stay dematerialized all the time and don't engage for any reason. If you think someone has spotted you, retreat. If you see or hear something you deem important the one who did must immediately come to report to me. After an hour passed you retreat, no matter what happened."

 **"Will do Master!"** They cheered before vanishing.

 _'I suppose there is a way to see dematerialized spirits?'_

 **"Yes, a considerable number at that. Good thinking with those orders. It's what I would have done."**

Lelouch supposed it counts as a compliment.

With the spiders that made up his personal guard, already incorporeal, riding atop the Sutherland he speeded up to where the terrorists were gathering, hoping it was not too late to recruit some more minions.

{●}

Luck was on Lelouch's side again, because he arrived just in time. The terrorists were blocked in a stalemate with some footsoldiers, the warehouse providing excellent cover, but the three Sutherlands coming from the other directions were going to change that.

Or better, they _would have_ changed the battle that were Lelouch not there himself.

"We have you now, Elevens!" The pilot of the first Sutherland shouted, his and his companions' guns leveling themselves on the helpless terrorists.

From the shadows Lelouch's Knightmare gestureed for his minions to attack. Immediately screams could be heard from the Britannian pilots as demons slain and devoured them. Coming out of his hiding place Lelouch aimed his rifle at the footsoldiers and fired, gunning them down with a spray of bullets meant to tear apart tanks.

After confirming all enemies were dead he contacted through the radio the shocked terrorists. "It looks like I arrived just in time. I hope you don't have many casualties. Are you the leader?"

A man with brown hair answered with his own radio, the others watching Lelouch's Frame warily. Except for the redhead, who was looking in awe at his handiwork. "N-No, everyone is fine. Yes I am, but wh-"

"I will keep this brief because we don't have much time." Lelouch interrupted him. "As you can guess I am not a Britannian pilot. I stole this Sutherland. Those three-" He gestured to the freshly liberated Frames. "And fourteen others are for you and your comrades. The tools for your victory...if you follow my commands, that is."

"Don't! What if it is a trap?!" A guy with red hair and a bandanna protested.

"Oh, sure." Lelouch replied in a mocking tone before gesturing to the dead soldiers. "I'm a Britannian, and I just killed my compatriots that were about to kill you so that I could bait you into a trap."

That shut him up. The redhead - the girl, not the man - was the first to get over her shock, taking a Sutherland. "Alright, I'm in. What's next?"

"Turn off the IFF. I need mine to predict where the enemy will be, but you need to be invisible to their radars. After that I will lead you to where I hid the other Sutherlands."

"Did you hear that?" The man with brown hair shouted to the others. "I'll get one. Sugiyama, take the other one." Then he contacted you again. "Listen, I am grateful for you help, but could you tell us who you are? At least your name...?"

Giving them his true name was out of the question for Lelouch, but at least a code name was necessary, if only to avoid confusion.

 **"If it can help, one of the sobriquets of your caste is Vitriol Falcon."**

 _'...Nope. The matter of what a Caste is aside, that is not something I want to call myself with.'_ Still, Lelouch felt this was an important decision that will greatly shape the future.

"You can call me...Zero."

Zero. Empty, yet it holds within itself infinite possibilities. What a **paradox**. And it was exactly what best define Lelouch Vi Britannia: someone who once was nothing, just another powerless fool in a cruel world, and yet now he felt - no, he **knew** without a shadow of doubt there was nothing he couldn't do!

* * *

Name: Lelouch Vi Britannia

Aliases: Lelouch Lamperouge, Zero

Caste: Fiend (Infernal)

Patron: Oramus, The Dragon Beyond the World

Motivation: To create a peaceful world from the ashes of Britannia

Urge: Forge a new empire greater than Britannia ever was (Oramaic)

Anima Banner: Two eastern dragons, one with scales each a subtly different color and the other with scales of the purest black, moving and coiling around one another like a strand of DNA while supported by seven great wings made of unearthly kaleidoscopic light


	2. Chapter 2

**Dislaimer:** I do not own Code Geass, which is propriety of Studio Sunrise, and neither do I own Exalted, which is property of White Wolf Publishing.

This fiction originally appeared as a quest-style story on the forum Sufficient Velocity. As such do not be confused by the strange structure.

* * *

 **Fiendish Advent - Act 2**

{●}

"You can call me Zero."

"Zero? As in, nothing?"

Lelouch chuckled. "You really think it's prudent to use real names on a line that could be monitored? That's why I am going to give all of you code names."

Once everyone has memorized their chosen designation the youth lead them to the other Sutherlands before driving off. Reaching what must have once been a multi-story parking lot he used the Slash Harkens to reach the highest level. Once there he smashed the Knightmare's fists through a section of wall and pulled in, creating the perfect vantage point to observe the combat.

Checking the IFF sensor display Lelouch found the nearest enemy units and directed seven of the terrorist to a good ambush point. "Be ready to shoot through the wall on your left in twenty-three seconds." Watching the map in the Sutherland's cockpit he saw the Britannian Knightmares following the predicted route. The fire from six of the captured Sutherlands' guns blew through the wall and slammed into to the enemy Knightmare Frames, destroying them in one swift move.

The sole survivor had the good fortune to only lose an arm. "What!? You dare attack your own? Jeremiah Gottwald of the Purebloods demands you answer for this!"

 _'A Pureblood uh? Just the kind of noble I hate the most._ ' As he brought his gun to bear on his attackers Lelouch grinned. "Q-1, oblige the man."

"Gladly!" your seventh ambusher responded, quickly turning a corner in her Sutherland and charging the enemy. "Nippon, BANZAI!"

"Terrorists!?" The enemy barely managed to eject before a stun tonfa crushed the head of his Knightmare.

 _'The identification signal is truly a double-edged sword'_. Twirling the black king chess piece he found earlier Lelouch couldn't help but grin at how easy this was turning out to be.

 **"Don't get distracted Boss."** Seyrun warned him. **"The battle doesn't end until all the enemies are dead, chained down or routed."**

 _'Mh, you're right.'_ A failure caused by overconfidence would be extremely irritating. Lelouch contacted the terrorists again. "I hope that was enough to remove all remaining doubts. P1, P4, P7: move an hundred meters to the right and fire the Slash Harkens on three o'clock. Q-1, R-1 I want you two to..."

{●}

Either Clovis was used to employ utterly incompetent military advisors, or he was commanding the troops himself. Lelouch propended for the second.

"Q-1, is your map accurate?"

"Yes, the one for the old city." The redhead girl replied. Lelouch reminded himself to keep an eye on her, the skills to pilot a Knightmare Frame she displayed before will be useful in the future. "But it's one based on how it looked originally."

"Good enough." You grinned, a plan already formulating in your mind.

You guided her through the underground tunnels, right under where all the remaining enemy units were gathering. "Bring down the central pillar."

Q-1 followed your order before retreating into safety. You saw both on the screen and through the Factsphere how the concrete cracked and the ground above crumbled under the combined weight of so many Knightmares, tanks, and APCs.

Lelouch let out a short, cruel laugh. "I can do it! I can really do it! I can destroy Britannia!"

 **"Sorry to burst your bubble, but you will need a bigger army first. A much, much bigger army."**

 _'That's obvious. Now hush, I need to concentrate.'_ By this point Clovis was bound to be desperate, and desperate men can react in unexpected ways.

"This is B group. Enemy sighted!"

 _'Here it is.'_ He answered the call. "What's the situation?"

"Everyone escaped, but four frames were lost!"

"Number of enemies?"

"Only one!" The hand fidgeting with the chess piece stopped moving. "It looks like a new model. I never saw that type bef-Aaargh!"

"Hey! What happened?" But no one answered. The pilot must have been defeated. Still, only one machine destroyed five of his frames when an entire army couldn't?

 **"Quality over quantity Boss. It's possible they are facing someone much stronger than the rest, and I'm betting a cigar those guys you recruited don't have the necessary training to efficiently react to an incognita."**

That is sadly the truth. Lelouch acknowledged his troops were likely kept going only by enthusiasm and his tactics. He couldn't expect them to be competent. Not yet at least.

He raised a hand and gestured forward with the index finger. "Go kill the pilot of that new model."

A faint feeling of something ethereal brushing against his arm was the sole signal that one of his **really** competent subordinates heard his command. Lelouch then directed three Sutherlands to ambush the new model, so that they can keep it busy when the spider does your job.

It didn't take long for the trap to spring up. Sadly, it also didn't go as he wished.

"What? It can blocks bullets?" The raven-haired boy replied in response to the latest report.

"Yeah, some kind of energy shield. What should we do? No, Ishidaaa-!"

"Tch!" He scowled as more of the Sutherlands went down. "Just how useless are those guys? Whatever, it should be almost done by now."

But the mysterious Knightmare didn't stop. It kept going, taking down three more frames.

 _'Seyrun!'_

 **"Something's not right."** The spider mumbled.

Just then someone knocked desperately outside the cockpit. Opening it he saw it was one of the spiders, probably the one he sent. **"Boss we have a problem! I couldn't enter!"**

"What. Happened?"

 **"I waited for the target to show up, and when it stopped to defend I jumped straight where the pilot is! I didn't miss and I was dematerialized, but I bounced off the surface!"**

 _'What? He couldn't pass through?'_

Seyrun hissed. **"Ask him if he recognized what material was. Quick!"**

"Did you recognize what material it was?"

 **"I don't know, it was under the surface."** He scratched his head. **"I think I smelled crispy air, so maybe...Jade?"**

 **"Boss! You need to run! Now!"** Seyrun screamed.

 _'Right when victory is almost mine? Never! What does he meant with Jade?'_

 **"Jade is one of the five Magical Materials. They're used to make magical tools, and stronger than any other material in the world, even diamonds. Furthermore, spirits can't pass through them!"**

 _'Wait. Are you saying-'_

 **"That the one who build that thing know magic? Yes. That's why you need to retreat: it isn't wise to fight an enemy you know nothing about. That way lies death!"**

Retreating. Just when victory is so close?

On the radio R-1 yelled two more have fallen.

 _'No!'_ Lelouch thought resolutely. _'I have not been defeated yet. If I can't win in a direct battle, then all I have to do is change the rules of engagement!'_

If he can't defeat Clovis' forces, he will aim directly at his brother instead!

"All units! Retreat!" Lelouch shouted in the radio. "The enemy is too strong!"

"We can't!" R-1 said. "Kal- I mean Q-1 is fighting the white Knightmare! We can't let her alone!"

 _'Is she?'_ He switched to Q-1's channel. "Q-1, how are you doing?"

"Just barely!" She shot back. "This bastard is strong! Never saw a Knightmare move like that...If I still were in the Glasgow I wouldn't last a second!"

Lelouch checked his Frame remaining equipment and smiles at what he found. "Keep up Q-1, I'm coming!" Then he switched to the others, while searching on the radar for a safe escape route. "I repeat: disengage and retreat. Follow this path." He transmitted them the coordinates. "I'll help Q-1 personally. If you can stow the Knightmares somewhere safe for later use do it, but if not don't hesitate to just abandon them. No matter what, you need to get out of Shinjuku!"

"A-Alright! But how are we going to meet again?"

"I'll contact you myself. Until then, lay down!"

After that he closed the connection and put away the radio. For what he was going to do next, he would need all his wits and abilities. "All of you, get off the Knightmare! Follow me, but stay away! When you see the cockpit ejects, follow it: I'll be there!"

Once all spiders get off he used the Slash Harkens to lower his Sutherland back to the ground before moving to Q-1's last position.

 **"Are you sure you know what you're doing Boss?"**

 _'I hope so!'_

 **"That doesn't reassure me!"**

When he finally saw the enemy Lelouch's first thought was that the difference is staggering: most Knightmares are basically tanks in a vague human shaped form, but this unknown model was more like a knight in white armor, flawlessly performing maneuvers that his, admittedly only passable, knowledge on the subject said they should be impossible. Is this the future of Knightmare engineering?

"Q-1! Disengage! Then attack with Slash Harkens!"

The redhead obeyed almost immediately. Just as the white Knightmare turned to face him Lelouch aimed his rifle and opened fire. But the enemy blocked the first volley with those fabled energy shields before speeding towards him.

It abruptly stopped when Lelouch pulled out a Chaos Mine. He activated and tossed it in the Frame's direction. The white robot once again activated its shields, but it needed to crouch down to cover all of its body so it was ill prepared to react when Q-1's Slash Harkens slammed into it from the side.

"Good work Q-1! Now join the others!" Lelouch did a last transmission before taking out the second Chaos Mine and speed up at full throttle towards the staggering white frame. He activated the Mine before ejecting immediately.

 **"A suicide attack? Clever, even more if you don't have to die. Would have sucked, for both of us, otherwise."** Seyrun commented.

 _'As if I would die so easily, especially in a place like this.'_

When the cockpit landed he didn't lose time to get out and ran away from the hot zone as fast as he could. Once he was far away enough he hid inside an old building.

The Anuhles appeared around Lelouch, either from thin air or by skittering out of the darkness. **"You alright boss?"**

"Yes." He replied curtly. "One of you: go and recall those sent to investigate the enemy base."

 **"Right away!"** A spider confirmed before skittering off.

 **"And now?"**

 _'Now we wait.'_ He answered Seyrun. _'And while we're waiting I want you to give me a rundown of the abilities I can use. I need to know exactly what I can do to plan my next move.'_

 **"Ah. Alright. The whole story is pretty long and contains details that could compromise your concentrations so can I give you the juice of the matter?"**

 _'Acceptable.'_ "Keep guard." He ordered the spiders before sitting down on the ground. _'Begin.'_

 **"Okay, first thing you need to know is this: you're an Exalt. That's the definition for those like you. You had a piece of divine essence put into your soul: it lets you transcend your limits as a human and grow indefinitely."**

 _'Again, sounds too good to be true.'_

 **"I was told that's why the Yozi lost."** Seyrun replied in a bland tone. **"As an Exalt, your most basic power is to make yourself better at certain task. You do a task, channel Essence while doing it and the end result turn phenomenally well. Either by luck or because you had a moment of brilliance, you can make the improbable into probable and then almost certain."**

Lelouch's eyes widened. _'Amazing! Any task?'_

 **"No. You need to, for a lack of better words, follow the theme of the Yozi you're been empowered from. Since all your powers are minuscule fractions of the titanic might they used to shape the world. You should be able to 'feel' if a certain method or the way you're approaching it resonate with the powers at your disposals. This is all instinctual, so I can't help you much."**

He hummed. _**'I kind of get what you're saying. What else?'**_

 **"You already know about the trick to change appearance - by the way, I suggest finding real clothes - but there are more. The first lets you make someone else fail, inflicting bad luck and lapses in competence. Another helps you escape physical restraints or physical confinement, but it supports only your own personal efforts. With me so far?"**

 _'Yes. Keep going.'_

 **"Let's see...Uh. This part is not very clear. Who wrote this thing? There is something about a passive bonus to help you fascinate people, a technique to stop someone from correctly guessing your true intentions through observation, and another passive bonus that cause others to guess everything about you but the correct choice."**

 _'Please explain the last part more clearly.'_

 **"I'll try...Okay, by what I understand this ability makes it so that, when someone use an ability or skill to discover something about you, it will always succeed but it only reveal you _aren't_ something else. And they can't find the correct answer by elimination, because even that is influenced."**

 _'Range of action?'_

 **"Everything and everywhere in existence. Those with magical abilities may bypass this ability, but it will be difficult."**

 _'I guess most of my previous concerns are now useless.'_ He replied in wonder. _'Continue.'_

 **"Another power lets you, after speaking with the target and managing to convince him of something or to do a task, inflict a momentary form of mental illness or insanity on him. You can make him paranoid, amnesiac, cause hallucinations and even make so he develops cannibalistic tendencies."**

 _'I can make people mad just by speaking with them?!'_

 **"Yep. Like I said it's only temporary. Another power lets you...peep into an otherworldly realm to gain inspiration for your actions? Moving on...ah, finally the good stuff. You have a power that make so the enemy cannot perceive or react to your attacks until they hit him. Always catch them unaware, that's my motto. Finally, another power make so, after successfully hitting a target, you 'mark' him somehow: if he dies his body and soul shatter, becoming a trace of Essence you can then use as a material to make stuff."**

 _'Material...to make stuff?'_

 **"Sure. Like gemstones made of tears, or the dreams of a newlywed bride. That kind of stuff."**

 _'...I'll pretend I understand what you're talking about.'_ Lelouch deadpanned. _'But I am ready to admit those powers are very useful. Are they the only ones I have?'_

 **"For now yes. But the more you use them, the more you grow in power and unlock new ones. Like I said those things are mostly instinctual, like a new limb you learn how to move. Give it time...Oh right, I almost forgot: there is a special power specific of the Fiend Caste. You can sanctify oaths."**

 _'Sanctify oaths?'_

 **"When you are party or witness to an oath, you may use Essence to sanctify it. You must shake hands to seal the agreement or touch the hands of those who are party to it. Those who break the oath, yourself included, will suffer terrible luck at the worst possible moment."**

 _'So I can force someone to make a promise, and if he breaks it he will suffer? How much?'_

 **"From losing all his money to losing his life. I said worst possible moment, I meant it. You can also use this power to protect someone else who made a similar oath from the effects of breaking it, but only as long as you want. Perfect for blackmail. You can also learn powers that don't come from the Yozi, with limitations, and enjoy diplomatic immunity everywhere but the domains of the Gods."**

That's when the spider Lelouch sent returns with the reconnaissance team. **"Boss."** One of them began. **"The enemy base has very few men. We looked around carefully and found nothing suspicious."** He paused briefly. **"Apart for one thing, but it was far away from the base so we keep scouting."**

"What it is?"

 **"Two humans inside a metal box with wheels, working on a machine. The female smells normal, but the male-"** He clicked his mandibles. **"It's a Dragonblooded. I think Air Aspect."**

Seyrun hissed. **"I knew it!"**

 _'What's a Dragonblooded?'_

 **"Another type of Exalt. Weaker overall, but they make it up with numbers. It's gotta be the one who build the machine with the Jade. You must avoid him at all costs Boss, you have no training fighting other Exalts yet!"**

 _'I have the Anuhles.'_

 **"And if we are lucky he is merely strong enough to hold them off until reinforcements arrives."** He snaped back. **"Never underestimate an Exalt Boss. Just look at what you did today if you want an example."**

That was also true. In the end it doesn't matter: his goal was Clovis, not whoever made the white Knightmare. Lelouch addressed the spiders. "How many of you have the Essence to materialize?"

 **"Four."**

Insufficient. "Follow me."

Finding a troop of Britannians didn't turn out to be difficult. It seemed that with the terrorist's thread resolved Clovis resumed the ghetto's destruction. Not that there were many people left, but it was still something his brother will need to answer to.

While his minions eat Lelouch stripped a relatively clean soldier of his gear, dropped the illusion and then put the gear on. It was a bit bigger than his size, but it would do. "How many now?"

 **"Fourteen."**

"Good enough." He concentrated and his shadow raised again. When it lowered it left behind a middle aged Britannian of sharp features, dressed in expensive military uniform. Lelouch even managed to make an ID card: all the data was made up, but at first glance it was just like the real thing.

"Let's go." Lelouch Vi Britannia said in a voice that wasn't his own.

{●}

Approaching the G-1 base was pathetically easy. He just had to walk around like he owe the place and everyone just saluted and let him pass.

Once the base was in sight Lelouch began his act. "You there!" He said in the most authoritative tone he can muster, grabbing the attention of the posted guards. He quickly flashed your ID card and put it away before they could inspect it closely. "I am with Internal Affairs, and I must speak privately with His Highness immediately. I have vital information about what the terrorists have stolen, as well as regarding possible traitors in our ranks."

The guards looked at each other, their uncertainty clear. "But, sir, I..."

"No buts! I will not have it! Go now and be back in the next seven minutes or I swear you won't like the consequences!"

The guards' terror was evident on their faces, and two of them rushed to get approval after a quick "Yes, My Lord!"

Not long after they returned. "His Highness will see you in his private chambers, my lord. Right this way." Lelouch moved to follow, his invisible minions in tow and no one the wiser.

On the way to the royal chambers Lelouch contemplated what to do with Clovis, from just threatening him at gun point were he foolish enough to let the two of them alone, from making him see an hallucination of Marianne's ghost, the horror of such a sight likely to make him blabber the truth without realizing it.

Then just before stepping into the room Lelouch had a great vision: for a nanosecond the world disappeared in the same unreality of when he met Oramus, reflections of timelines that could be endlessly shifting in a kaleidoscope that wasn't. One timeline in particular inspired him, a great idea that pulled him back into the normal reality when he chose it. Everything else was forgotten.

 _'Now I have_ uses _for you, dear half-brother.'_ Lelouch thought malevolently.

Clovis was exactly as he appeared on TV a few hours ago. Only, instead of acting like a primadonna he was clearly agitated, even if he tried to hide it. With a gesture he dismissed the guard. Once the doors closed, leaving them alone in the lavish room, he turns to stare at the disguised Lelouch. _'Hm? How strange.'_ Now that he could see it close Clovis' hair had a strange green tint, while in his memories it was dirty blonde. _'Does he dye it?'_

"What's your name?" Clovis demanded.

Lelouch ignored the bitter taste on his mouth and bowed in a manner fitting for addressing Royalty. "Eric Granfield Your Highness. I work for His Majesty the Emperor's Internal Affairs department, and was sent here to Area Eleven a few months ago incognito."

"So that's why I'm learning of this only now." He clicked his tongue. "Does my father have so little faith in me?"

"Forgive me, my prince, but I don't know if my orders came from the Emperor himself. It's beyond my authorization. I only obey."

"Of course you do." He seemed to ponder on something for a few seconds before walking to a cabinet, where he took out glasses and a bottle of liquor. "Whisky?"

"Just a little. I am still on duty." Lelouch replied with no intention to drink even a drop of the stuff.

Clovis poured himself a glass almost half-full before gulping it down. He must have been very nervous. "So, mister Granfield." Clovis began while filling another glass. "I was told you have vital information about what the terrorists have stolen, and also about possible traitors?"

"Yes." Lelouch began, the script almost writing itself in his mind. "It began when my superior ordered me to come to Area Eleven to investigate. There were rumors that members of the Pureblood faction, or at least people associated with them, were asking questions and dig up facts about an old case, the assassination of a member of the Royal Family that happened eight years ago."

"An assassination? Who-!" Clovis froze for a moment before turning around to stare at Lelouch with wide eyes, the bottle in one hand and the glass with the whisky in the other. "You don't mean, Queen Marianne?" He asked in what sounded like real melancholy. "The Emperor called back the investigation."

"That is what I said to my superior, but he replied my orders were fully sanctioned-" By who, he would let Clovis guess. "And so there wasn't any problem. He also added that the murder of an honorable woman like the Queen can't be left unsolved, a sentiment I fully share." The tips of Lelouch's lips slightly turned upward.

Clovis nodded, a sign to continue.

"I've then spend the last few months quietly gathering information and building up a network of informants. One such network was right here in the Shinjuku ghetto. By pure coincidence my men were able to learn that the Pureblood I was investigating were making some kind of deal with the terrorists belonging to a cell hidden within the ghetto. Despite not being part of my mission I couldn't very well let traitors get away with their machinations so I fully devoted myself to learn the truth. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to learn the details until it was too late to stop it." He looked down in fake shame.

"Never mind that!" Clovis barked. "What did you find?"

"I finally learnt the truth about the exchange not too long ago by an informant who managed to eavesdrop on it: the stolen capsule and its contents in exchange for a number of Sutherlands. The deal went through, but not before Your Highness's forces arrived in Shinjuku."

"You mean...but of course!" Clovis gritted his teeth in anger. "There is no other way a bunch of primitive Elevens would have been able to bypass the security! They must have received help from those bloody traitors!"

"My thoughts exactly. Going back to my report, the traitors were put into a bad spot by Your Highness' swift response, and knowing they couldn't get away without losing the capsule they made a second deal with the terrorists: if the Elevens would cover their escape, the traitors would leave one of their number behind in a Knightmare and provide up to date information on the location of our forces using the Frame's IFF system."

A spark of recognition lighted up in Clovis' eyes. _'Yes. Make the only logical conclusion and choke on it.'_

"That's how they routed our forces. They knew every move Your Highness' generals were making, and used the Sutherlands they were given to maximum effect by following a true soldier's orders. I am afraid to say the traitors are almost certainly long gone with their ill gotten goods. The remaining terrorists also seem to have retreated by this point, so they're likely to be gone as well."

Clovis looked down before showering the half-full glass in Lelouch's hands. Then he stomped back to the cabinet to get another glass. "Continue."

"There isn't much, but I have some information that may be helpful in tracking down the capsule, or at least rooting out any other agents of the conspiracy. My informant wasn't able to get any names of those involved in the exchange as the traitors were apparently quite cautious, wearing face and body concealment, but in a stroke of luck he did note one person with teal hair when one of them had to quickly re-apply part of their disguise that fell off. Also, since the enemy used the IFF system and I have a good idea of where the exchange took place, if Your Highness can have the records of the battle brought in I should be able to point out exactly which Knightmare belonged to that particular traitor, and from that piece of data we should be able to determine who it was from record. At this point I humbly suggest a full top to bottom investigation of the Purebloods: not every member is likely to be corrupt, but there's enough evidence to show that a purge is needed." Lelouch paused for a second. "Also, if I can make a suggestion I would advise Your Highness to cease hostilities in the ghetto. With both objectives gone it'll only serve to stir up the malcontents among the Elevens further, something that I believe is simply not worth the effort to suppress it later; also, I'd be out of remaining informants."

By the look on his face Lelouch could tell that Clovis believed he. He had _turned the Pureblood heroes into villains_ in his eyes. He could almost see the shadow of a great serpentine figure coiling on the blonde prince's back and whispering to his ear _lies_ mixed with _horrid truths_. Well, Clovis looked like he could use another drink, and a small part of Lelouch was feeling _magnanimous_. So why not oblige his _vice?_ Twisting his Essence, Lelouch shoved it into Clovis.

The effects manifested immediately: again Clovis looked down at his glass, and once more downed the entire thing in one go without hesitation. He then pushed the button on the intercom. "Bartley, call off the operation. We've got traitors in the ranks. Bring me copies of the IFF records with maps, and do it quickly. Also bring in every Pureblood you can for questioning."

"But, Your..."

"DO IT NOW!"

"Yes! Of course, Your Highness."

Clovis stared his glass. It was empty. "FUCK!" He threw it across the room, then sit down and cupped his face into his hands.

Lelouch chuckled internally, pushing his own untouched glass over to Clovis. "Would you like some more? It calms the nerves, and Your Highness looks like he needs it."

By the time Bartley, a fat and bald man, arrived Clovis has already worked his way through half of the bottle. When he expressed concern Clovis ripped the records out of his hands and kicks him out of the room.

Together the two brothers went through most of the records, even if Lelouch did most of the work, until he 'casually' found the pilot of the Sutherland he used: a woman called Villetta Nu, the teal hair confirming it. Looking at her photo he briefly reflected it was almost a pity she ended up as food for hungry giant spiders before pushing the matter out of his mind: she was an enemy, she was dead, she didn't matter anymore. The fact that the signal from her personal Knightmare kept transmitting from the same place while the rest of the Britannian Army was systematically demolished was the driving nail for Clovis, who recalled Bartley and told him to put under arrest for treason Villetta and every person even loosely associated with her.

"You did a great savace...I mean service to Britannia." Lelouch had to suppress a snicker at the slur in Clovis' voice. With all the alcohol he chucked down Lelouch was honestly afraid that Clovis was going to drop down every moment, but the blonde prince was holding himself up much better than he expected. Even though his eyes were still unfocused and the only reason he was not wagging was because he was sitting down. He squinted his eyes at you. "...What was your name again?"

"Eric Granfield Your Highness."

"Oh, yeah. Ricky Goryfie. You did a great service to me. You deserve...a reward! Yes a reward.." That's when he realized his glass was empty. "Where is my whisky?!" He shouted in anger.

"Here Your Highness." Lelouch filled Clovis' glass to the brim and waited until he calmed down. "I thank you for your generosity but I need no reward to do my duty." He said stoically. "Instead, could you perhaps tell me anything you knows about Queen Marianne's assassination? My superiors are being very tight-lipped, and any lead, any name of a person I could talk to, would be a godsend."

"Marianne! Such a great woman!" Clovis suddenly shouted while raising the glass in the air. "I admired her. My mother instead hated her." He giggled. "But my mother is a brainless old hag so fuck her!"

Lelouch briefly wondered what kind of face Gabrielle would make hearing that. Or how Laila would react seeing her precious brother in his current state.

"After the investigation was called off I tried to hire private detectives to keep looking, but those idiots didn't find a damn thing." He slumped down on his seat, now sad.

Lelouch didn't need to feign disappointment. "So Your Highness doesn't know anything? Not even a small lead?"

"Yep!"

"Not even who might know more?"

"That..." Clovis paused, taking another drink before continuing. "I always thought Schneizel and Cornelia know more, but I never asked."

"The Second Prince and the Second Princess?"

"Yeah. It was Schneizel who carried out Marianne's body under the Emperor's orders. That's not a job for a Prince. And Cornelia was the head of the Queen's security. She idolized that woman, there is no way..." He hiccupped. "There is no way she didn't do everything in her power to find those filthy assassins!"

 _'Interesting, very interesting. Now that I think about it Cornelia_ was _the head of security at Aries Villa...It's not much, and reaching a point where I can interrogate both her and Schneizel is going to be a nightmare, but it will suffice for now.'_ He planted the seeds, now all that remain was watching what would bloom.

"Thank you for helping a simple servant such as myself, My Lord." He bowed deeply. "With your permission I will go now. More work for the glory of Britannia awaits me." The glory of Britannia's funeral pyre. "All hail Britannia."

"Yeah yeah. All hail Britannia." Clovis dismissed Lelouch with a vague gesture, too interested in the whisky than him now that he didn't have anything more to say.

While leaving Lelouch heard Clovis screaming for someone to bring him another bottle, and the yelp of a guard, and couldn't help a smirk to worm its way on his face.

The Chaos, will be magnificent.

{●}

Outside the G-1 Base Lelouch ordered someone to fetch him a car. He gave simple directions to the driver until he drop off a few blocks from Ashford Academy. Lelouch walked around for a bit, mixing with the crowd to foil possible pursuers. Then he entered a shopping center and walked into the public restroom before dropping his disguise. He removed the armor until he waswearing just a black shirt and gray pants and walked away, with none the wiser.

When he returned home the house was empty. Judging by the time Nunnally was still at school, while Sayoko must be out for some chore. Lelouch reached his room and closed himself inside.

Then he laughed. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He fell down supine on the bed and kept laughing, even as four spiders materialized and took position near the door and the window. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

 **"Feeling better?"** Seyrun asked.

"Totally." He replied with a maniac smile. "This is even better than just killing Clovis. That imbecile will destroy this country, and I'll be there to collect the pieces."

 **"Politics like those aren't my forte, so I trust you."**

"...Talking about trust." His smile vanishing Lelouch sit up. "It's time you tell me everything. And I mean _everything_."

 **"I agree, now it's an ideal time. Got any specific question before that?"**

"No, I want to hear the whole story before. I'll make my question at the end."

 **"Very well. Then there is one piece of info you need to know first. Us Anuhles?"**

"Yes?"

 **"We're demons."**

That, gave Lelouch pause. "Demons. Demons, as beings from hell?"

 **"The correct name is Malfeas, which is also one of the Yozi, but yeah."**

He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before he settled for just facepalming and falling down on the bed again. "I thought I was ready to even sell my soul to the devil for my ambitions, but I never expected it to be literal!"

 **"Nah Boss, you didn't sell your soul: those are the Akuma, and nowadays nobody is stupid enough to accept that bargain."** Seyrun replied. **"And 'devil' isn't even a real being. In the old days you called a truly energetic, mischievous, daring, or clever person a 'devil', and that was a compliment."**

"Glad to know I struck the better deal." He grumbled

 **"You totally did Boss. Where I was? Oh yeah, the beginning. In the beginning there was the Wyld, formless and chaotic…."**

{●}

 **"...And then they finally managed to slay all Solars. After losing thousands of troops and destroying most of Meru trying to subdue 300 unarmed, drunk guys. Which say a lot about how outmatched they were, don't you think so?"**

He was gaping. He hasn't done anything else in the last half hour, listening to a creation myth that wouldn't have sounded out of place coming from a new-age movement. Except fuck science and fuck faith, because he now worked for those _who were there to see and make it happen_. "The Big Bang is called Cytherea?"

 **"Dunno what a Big Bang is, except for the literal sense, but blessed Cytherea is the Mother of Creation, The Divine Ignition, she who woke up the other Primordials and made Creation out of the Wyld."**

"And here I have been an agnostic most of my life." Lelouch cradled his head in his hands.

 **"Don't worry Boss, you will grow out of it quickly."**

"Splendid." He sarcastically replied. He stood silent for few minutes to put his thoughts in order. Once he was sufficiently calm he continued. "That's not the end of the story, isn't it?"

 **"Nope. The Sidereals managed to capture all 300 Solar Exaltations and seal them in a secret place, but they committed so many crimes that death penalty was a given...so they sought to conceal every proof of their involvement. They did some of their Fate mumbo-jumbo, but...things didn't go as planned. Creation partially broke. By the time the gods fixed it, the Sidereals got what they wanted...and more: it's called the Arcane Fate."**

"What is it?"

 **"The source of the masquerade regarding magic. People tend to overlook most blatant uses of Essence and clearly supernatural beings, and once they aren't exposed to it anymore memories of it slip away, their minds rationalizing them with plausible but mundane alternative events unless they have very strong wills. Only beings incapable of using Essence are affected, but it has resulted in most of humanity forgetting about gods and magic. Which would have ended badly for most of them...except, it wasn't the end."**

"It wasn't?"

 **"Nope. Then a super-plague killed 90% of all existing life in Creation."**

Lelouch cringed.

 **"And then the Fair Folks invaded and destroyed 90% of Creation."**

His cringe deepened.

 **"Yeah, shit after shit after shit. Someone managed to activate an ancient superweapon and beat back the invading tides, but the damage was enormous. But then, something truly strange happened. With so many dead the Underworld was floored, but many more souls entered Lethe. I believe no one know how or why it happened, but what was initially just a mechanism to handle reincarnation gained a self-awareness of sort. A sort of hive mind of all the souls that enter Lethe and stay there before being reincarnated. Honestly, I have no idea how it works. And before everyone could react...well, that thing did _something_. I think nobody know exactly what. Some sort of change into reality. Fact is, Creation ceased to be flat and became a sphere, suspended in the void of space instead of the Wyld. The Wyld and the Raksha are still there, but there is a barrier, similar to what the Solars once made. Malfeas, Yu-shan and the Underworld are still there, but the rest...maybe the Yozi know, but if they do they aren't telling."**

Lelouch tried to wrap his head around so many facts, and only partially succeed. "When did this happen?"

 **"More than 5000 years ago. Since then history was mostly as you humans recorded it, with some editing here and there, and the various magical beings adapting to this new world. They even managed to seal the Underworld away, installing eight great magical foci around the world."**

"And no more Solars."

 **"No more Solars. Until five years ago, when the servants of the Neverborn finally managed to open tiny cracks in the barrier sealing the Underworld, allowing for Shadowlands to appear again. Then the Yozi, who knew where the Exaltations were hidden, managed a deal with the Neverborn. The prison was found and cracked, but 150 of them flew away. Of the rest 100 went to the Neverborn and 50 to the Yozi, as per the pacts. And so were the Green Sun Princes, or Infernal Exalt, born. Got any questions?"**

"Too many to count!" He shouted, bolting up in a sitting position. "Do you realize you just destroyed my whole worldview?!"

 **"Would you have preferred to live in a lie?"**

...He wasn't wrong. Given a choice, Lelouch would still have done the same. "Very well. First, I need some pertinent details about who I'm working for now. Since Oramus showed up during my Exaltation, is he my boss?"

 **"If he spoke with you, then yes. More accurately he's your Patron, meaning you can expect special support from the demons under him. But it's strange."**

"What it is?"

 **"Oramus is...well, he hasn't made any signal of being interested in the Reclamation until now. What with being bound even worse than Malfeas."**

"What can you tell me of him?"

 **"Oramus is the Eldest of the Primordials, existing even before Cytherea as a being of paradox and chaos. Not much else is know about him, save that his unusual harsh captivity is because the Exalts feared he was the only Yozi able to eventually escape Malfeas. I think that as his Chosen you're going to receive a lot of attention."**

"I see. You said I am a Peer, where do I fit in among the ranks?"

 **"The position of Peer is unique among the hierarchy of the Demon City. You are not obligated to follow Cecelyne's laws, but you are still protected by them. Your status is considered to be equal with other citizens and Second Circle Demons, but the amount of respect you can expect or must show varies on who's stronger. All Third Circle Demons may give you orders, but you are considered first and foremost subordinate of your Yozi Patron and his Third Circle Demons, so you can defy orders if you have their backing. Actually you can defy any and all orders, but I don't think I need to tell you why that is a bad idea."**

Lelouch nodded. "I understand. It's similar to being a vassal under a king. There is a pact of mutual exchange."

 **"If you say so. Orders that don't advance the Reclamation's goals are to be considered secondary to goals that do, and the latter take precedence. For the minutiae, you need to go to Malfeas yourself."**

"About the Reclamation. I know I'm expected to help the Yozis escape their prison and reclaim Creation. What does that entail? What is my specific role, how often can I expect my marching orders to be updated, and how will it be communicated? Also, what do the Yozis intend to do once they've won?"

 **"The answer is 'I don't know' for all of them."**

"What?!"

 **"No Yozi has a specific plan, because nobody know what works. It is generally believed that you Green Sun Princes would do as all Exalts do and devise a method nobody else thought before, and made it works against impossible odds. Though I heard the demons under Malfeas think re-shaping Creation until it's a copy of Malfeas will work, but that's probably just Ligier being his usual narcissistic self."**

So he was given an obstacle and being told to just find a solution, the only reason for it faith in the shard of super-divine essence in his soul to solve all problems?

That was _so_ stupid.

 **"Your role and other info will be given to you once you reach Malfeas. I think you're going to receive a formal invitation soon. And, for what the Yozi will do once they're won...possibly, vengeance on the gods. Beyond that, what do I know?"** Lelouch could imagine Seyrun shrugging. " **The Yozi do what the Yozi are."**

"What does that even mean?"

 **"You will see, you will see. Do you have other questions?"**

"This isn't over." He warned the spider. "I have a Caste. You said it's called Fiend. And since the Yozi got 50 Exaltations, I suppose there are 49 other people gifted with the modified Solar Exaltations. What are the other castes, how many others like me are there, and will I be expected to work directly with them or is every agent independent? Also, do you know the identities of any other agents of the Reclamation in the area?"

 **"Yes, there are five different Caste: Slayer, Malefactor, Defiler, Scourge and Fiend."**

"...Who is the dim-witted idiot that made up those names? It's like something a supervillains from a saturday morning cartoon would use!"

 **"No idea. A lot of demons find them cool. Anyway, there are 10 Exalt for every Caste. Slayers are warriors and generals, Malefactors are priests and leaders, Defilers are creators and sorcerers, Scourges are spies and assassins and, finally, Fiends are diplomats and administrators. That's just a rough representation through. Infernals are usually gathered into Covens, groups of five Infernals each with a different Caste, but those are made only when there is a goal that a single Exalt can't do alone, otherwise everyone is independent. And the only other agents of the Reclamation in the area I know of are the cultists that summoned me and my boys."**

"...Cultists?"

 **"Yozi worshippers. You should go and meet them someday: as one of the Living Avatars of the Yozi I think you must give them a speech or something."**

"...I have cultists?"

 **"You can ask to be included in their prayers, yes. It makes gaining spent Essence faster and gives other benefits, so I recommend it."**

"Give me one moment." Lelouch pinched his nose's bridge. "I just never expected to become a religious figure. That is so outside my experience zone it's not even funny."

Luckily Seyrun shut up. Lelouch took the time to shove more thoughts into the 'things to freak about later' mental list. "Next question: the Exalted. I know there are Solars, Lunars, Sidereals, Dragonblooded and now Infernals. I need a rundown of every type of Exalted, what kind of powers they have, if they also have their own castes, how many of each kind I can expect to exist, if the other types work for anyone in the same manner I do or have unified goals, what the conditions for receiving an Exaltation is and everything else you know."

 **"That's a lot Boss. Unfortunately I wasn't give much on the subject, but I will share what I have.**

 **Solars are supposed to be good at everything, with various degrees. Their powers are all about succeeding and being perfect at what they do, from fighting to running an empire. They have five Caste, which fulfill more or less the same roles as the Infernal's. There are still 150 free Exaltations out there, and they generally choose people who have a great destiny but lack the power to reach it. I think their Chosens just receive their powers one day, without idea of what happened to them. Some may be contacted by a supernatural faction willing to assist the reborn Solars, but it's more probable they just do their own things alone.**

 **Lunars are shapeshifters. They hunt animals and other creatures to drink their blood, which give them the ability to assume their shape. They only have three Castes and more general abilities. There are 300 Lunar Exaltations, and they choose survivors and people who make protecting something or someone their life missions. There is an organization of Elder Lunars called the Silver Pact to teach the newly Chosen, but they are divided into many factions with different agendas.**

 **Sidereals are the Chosens of Fate, they make sure than the law of cause and effect is followed everywhere. They have five Caste based on the Five Maidens. They work for Heaven, but beside that they are divided into those against the Solars, those pro-Solars and those indifferent to both.**

 **Dragonblooded embody the power of the five elements: Fire, Water, Air, Earth and Wood. They are weaker than the rest but have the ability to pass their powers to their children, increasing their numbers. Exalting for them occurs during puberty, but it may or may not happen depending on many factors. After Creation was changed the different lines scattered around the world. Currently, Britannia's nobility and royal family are the greatest concentration of Dragonblooded in the world."**

"What?!" Lelouch jumped up on your feet. "Britannia is-"

 **"Why do you think they are a superpower?"** Seyrun interrupted. **"Every great empire in history had one or more Exalts behind it. This mean that, yes, you have Dragonblooded blood in you. It may have awakened in one or two years, and it may have not. You have a much better deal now, so it's a moot point. And the Dragon's blood have thinned with continuous interbreeding with mortals, so Exaltations are less common...even if I heard Britannia started some kind of genetic program to strengthen the bloodline, but not even the Yozi know much at this point."**

"This...Did I even have a chance at my revenge?"

 **"No unless you Exalted too. Which you did. Don't worry about it, only people that Exalt themselves are told the truth."**

"But this mean..." Lelouch looked out of the window, at the school, eyes narrowed. "That every Britannia's noble is a possible Dragonblooded?"

 **"Yes."**

"Then I must take precautions. You!" The Anuhles gathered at his command. "Can you smell any Exalted types other than Dragonblooded?"

 **"Exalts, gods, demons, spirits. You name it, we can smell it."** One spider boasted. **"Unless they are using a power to mask their nature, like a transformed Lunar."**

"Then I want two of you to discreetly scout the school to see if any of the students or staff are Exalted or other non-humans. Avoid interactions with them, just report back after slipping away if they're noticed."

 **"Yes Boss!"** Two spiders vanished. Two more appeared to take their place.

 **"Paranoid much? I approve."**

"Yes, you told me already. So, you said. Shinjuku was halfway to being a Shadowland. That doesn't sound good. What does that mean? Also, are there any similar concepts I should be aware of?"

 **"Shadowlands are patches of land that stand on the border between Creation and the Underworld. When inside one during the day you're in Creation, but during the night you're in the Underworld, which like I said is a dark mirror of Creation where the ghosts of those who don't enter Lethe because they are still attached to their mortal lives linger. They are more likely to pop up in places where a lot of violent deaths happen, like a battlefield. Ghosts themselves are not a real problem, some even work in Malfeas, but those are only the majority. The rest is composed of hungry ghosts, mad ghost thirsting for the blood of the living; war ghosts, the spirits of dead soldiers that want to keep fighting; nemissaries, ghosts that can possess dead bodies; and nephwracks, who are even madder ghosts who want to feed everything to Oblivion. And then there are the Deathlords."**

"Deathlords?"

 **"Supposedly, they are the ghosts of thirteen Solars who died during the Usurpation. They made some kind of deal with the Neverborn for power, and now they fight for control over the Underworld. Since they kept 100 Exaltations, it's the opinion of many demons that soon we will see a new type of Exalt appear, one at the service of death itself. It doesn't need to be said, but all of Hell is opposed to the end goals of the Neverborn. Every effort to destroy Creation must be stopped, even if it pushes back the Reclamation."**

"Oh joy, more impossible enemies." Lelouch groaned. "Is there a way to destroy a Shadowland?"

 **"That's high-end Sorcery, something you aren't capable yet.** **However Dragonblooded, Sidereals and Lunars hate them too, so it's likely they will do the work for us. Just keep an eye on them so you can spot any possible army of the dead coming out of them."**

He groaned again. "And now there is a danger of zombie apocalypse. What happened to my normal life?"

 **"...Boss, I don't think normal is a concept that fit into an Exalt's life. Power always has a price."**

"Yes. Yes, it does." The raven-haired youth frowned. "I hope the other Infernals are competent, because I can't deal with all of this alone!"

 **"Don't worry Boss, you have the whole might of Hell supporting you. There are millions of demons ready for a great battle anytime! You just need to summon them, which is the real problem."**

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." He deadpanned before remembering a certain detail. "Say, Seyrun. Clovis had a green tint to his hair, but I remember otherwise. Given everything else that's happened, an oddity like that shouldn't be ignored. Do you have any idea what that might signify?"

 **"Green hair, but not always so? Then it could be he is a Dragonblooded. Maybe Wood aspected, since green is their color."**

"But shouldn't the Anuhles have smelled that if he was?"

 **"No if he was wearing an artifact to conceal his nature. Given his background, it's something he may possesses. It doesn't make him invincible, since you manipulated him quite easily."**

Lelouch hummed, thinking of a way to bypass it before remembering something. "In the warehouse, while I was out, did you eat the corpse of the green haired girl?" He asked the demons.

The spiders looked at each other. They confabulated for a while before one of them shook his head. **"Nobody did Boss. Some of us remember her, but didn't touch her body: they assumed others ate her first."**

 _'What? What could that possibly mea-'_

Someone tapped at the window: it was one of the spiders Lelouch sent in perlustration, the other behind him. Once the window was open they skittered inside and bowed in evident panic. **"We're sorry Boss! We try to stop her, but she didn't listen."**

That's when the door of Lleouch's room slammed open, a far-too-cheerful Milly Ashford rushing inside like the wind. "Lulu! It's true you're part of the gang too?" She asked with a huge grin and a blood red circle glowing on her forehead.

 _'What.'_

{●}

Before the invasion of Britannia the tallest building in the district of Shinjuku was the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, with a height of 797 feet. Then the One Month War happened and the Government Building was demolished by Britannian airstrikes. In the ruins of what would later become one of many metropolitan ghettos Shinjuku was left with the Shinjuku Park Tower, standing 771 feet high, as its tallest structure.

Leaning on the parapet, in the point most structurally integral, was a young man clad entirely in black leather save for a long purple scarf over his mouth and nose. He was of medium height, with pale skin and short, spiky black hair. Two long objects covered in cloth were resting at his feet. From his vantage point the mysterious stranger looked down at the movement of Britannia's forces, his keen eyes taking up every details and memorizing the most important ones.

"Brooding at the top of an high place? How _like_ you."

The young man groaned. "Gods, not _you_."

"Now that's just mean." The second person leaned against the parapet next to the first one, giving her back to the city so she could look him in the eyes. A girl of average height with long, almost waist-length light green hair and golden eyes, she as wearing a white straitjacket with various straps and zippers, a high collar and long sleeves that flare outwards closer to the cuffs. "Aren't you glad to meet an old friend?"

"We _aren't_ friend and you know it." He answered brusquely, before giving her a quick up and down glance. "White doesn't suit you."

"What, no comments about how it shows my curves?" She lamented in a mocking tone before she showed a sultry smile. "Bondage is all the rage those days. Want to have a try?"

He looked the other way.

"Oooh, so adorable." The girl cooed.

"Shove it Witch." He snaped back, still giving her his back. "Go back to your little cult."

"I left it. It was getting boring."

At those words he turned halfway, still not looking at her. "Just like that?"

"Just like that."

He stood silent for a few seconds before shrugging. "Not my problem."

She leaned forward. "And what are you doing there, among the livings?"

"Another one of those demonic cocoons, and shortage in men." He gestured at the city below. "And it will be a miracle if this place isn't a complete Shadowland in the next 24 hours. Even by forcing that moron of Clovis to collaborate this will take months of work. Unless..." He peeked at her.

"Don't look at me. The one in Area Eleven isn't mine. Go find the legitimate owner."

"Thanks for _nothing_ then." He spat before turning the other way again.

"Anytime Blacky." She giggled before walking away. "It was a pleasure meeting you again but-"

"Still looking for a replacement?"

She stopped. "And if I am?" She replied, expression and tone totally blank.

"Nothing." He shrugged. "Just remember you need to present a proper request and wait for approval first."

"Because it _worked_ for me?!" Her tone was frosty, her hands clenched enough for the nails to draw blood.

"That, as far I know, was a mistake. We don't need to repeat it. Have you tried to...C.C.?" He looked behind, only to discover the girl already left.

The man stared in silence at the empty space for a few minutes before looking back to the city.

"What is life good for, I wonder, if there is no death?"

* * *

Charms Database:

 **From Ebon Dragon**

 **Loom-Snarling Deception** : using you shadow as disguise you can take any shape you want. It even comes with a fake personal Destiny for the duration.

 **From Oramus**

 **What Is And What Should Never Be** : stare at the mad realms beyond reality to learn how to do more awesome things!

 **Words That Twist Like Daggers** : when you talk to people they go mad. Nothing beats making your hated enemy sexually attracted to his bike.


	3. Chapter 3

**Dislaimer:** I do not own Code Geass, which is propriety of Studio Sunrise, and neither do I own Exalted, which is property of White Wolf Publishing.

This fiction originally appeared as a quest-style story on the forum Sufficient Velocity. As such do not be confused by the strange structure.

* * *

 **Fiendish Advent - Act 3**

{●}

 **"Wow. Maybe I should have talked with those cultists instead of just rushing where you were."** Seyrun commented, but Lelouch wasn't listening.

Milly had superpowers.

Milly had _superpowers_.

 _Someone put what was probably one of the most dangerous spiritual weapons ever created in the soul of Milly Ashford._

"Nope." He stood up and walked to his closet. "Not doing this." He opened your closet, entered and closed it.

 _'This isn't happening. Nope. This is just a nightmare born from all of the crap I had to go through today and that visit to Oramus' mad realm.'_

"Ohohoh! Don't be silly Lulu. Come out, let's talk." The nightmare tried to open the door.

He pulled back with all his strength. "Noooo! Be gone! You're just an hallucination created by my mind! I will not be tempted!"

 **"Boss?! You're freaking out, and I don't like what it is doing to this place!"**

"Fine. If you put it that way..." Lelouch breathed in relief as the nightmare relented.

Then his blood froze when he heard what sounds suspiciously like clothes being removed. "Milly? What are you doing?"

"Getting naked of course." A part of Lelouch's soul shrieked in terror. "Then I think I will take some selfies while leaning on your bed and post it on my profi-"

"STOP IT!" He half-screamed, half-pleaded as he stormed outside, his mind conjuring horrible images of the upcoming social disaster.

And face-planted when he saw Milly sitting on the bed with her clothes still on, a victorious grin on her lips and sheets crumpled from what was most likely her playing with it. "There. It wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Demon..." He whispered, forced to recognize the whole unbelievable situation as being, sadly, reality.

"No, no Lulu. They are demons." She pet one of the spiders, who just looked confused, before raising on fist in the air. "I'm Green Sun Princess Milly Ashford of the Scourge Caste! What's yours?"

"...Fiend..." He replied dispassionately, dragging his sudden oh-so-tired self up and sitting next to her.

"I knew it! Even if you don't quite fit the 'bad boy' type." She sized him up and down with that look of her that didn't possess an ounce of shame ever since she hit puberty. "And am I seeing things or are you even more handsome than normal? The Exaltation did a very good job."

Lelouch glared at her.

She giggled before a bit of concern entered her expression. "But seriously Lelouch, what happened?"

 _'It's best to go for truth or elaborate li-too troublesome.'_ "Today I got caught up in a terrorist incident, drawn into a warzone, my best friend from childhood was killed for refusing an order to kill me and there was nothing I could do to stop it, I made a deal with the world-gods who created the universe in exchange for power, I've learned that everything I thought I knew about the universe is wrong and I've had to scrap my old plans for destroying Britannia..."

She blinked. "You were serious about those?"

He ignored the jab. "...and now I've learned you've got the same bullshit powers I do. It explains so much." He sighed. "I did think your parties got a little wilder in the last few months."

She preened. "Of course they were." Then she smiled sadly and put a hand over Lelouch's, squeezing it lightly. "I'm sorry to hear about your friend. But you're here and alive, so something good had happened today, right?"

"Well, I lead a cell of terrorists to a near victory over Britannia. I also convinced my brother Clovis that it was all the Pureblood's fault and that he needs to purge his government of 'traitors', so the Area Eleven government is going to be quite destabilized soon."

"...Your brother is that gullible?"

"It helped that he was drunk. Which was my doing." He rolled his eyes. "I also created an alter-ego called 'Zero' to lead the terrorists."

Milly smiled widely. "Can I help design you a costume?"

"No, hell no, and absolutely no." Lelouch replied without hesitation. "I'd like to keep my dignity."

She pouted.

"But seriously Milly, how..." He gestured at her. "How did _it_ happen? How did you become an Exalt?"

"Well, it happened two months ago-Oh! Let me present you someone." She clapped her hands. "You can show yourself Zenész."

A figure materialized in the center of the room, and instantly Lelouch's ears were assaulted by a haunting beautiful music. There were no words to it and yet it hit him on a deeply personal level, speaking of sorrow, lost innocence and self recrimination but also streaked through with subtle phrases that evoked a faint hope that the bad days would pass and fond memories of the good times in life.

The demon had the appearance of a stunningly beautiful woman wearing a black dress, long and flowing dark hair in a loose, messy style framing a shapely face with slightly too large green eyes. The defining feature were her hands, each with a dozen long many-jointed fingers constantly moving in time with the music, as though she was playing an invisible harp. She smiled softly before closing her eyes to concentrate on her music.

Seyrun hummed contently, the other spiders imitating him. **"Malfeas, I missed this music."**

"She is an Angyalkae. Just like my Unwoven Coadjutor, Nassozra." Milly pointed at her head. "She's pleased to meet you."

 _'Unwoven Coadjutor?'_

 **"The term used for the demon that fused with a Green Sun Prince. Oh, and it's an honor too."**

Lelouch resisted the urge to shake his head in exasperation. "They're Anuhles. I hadn't time to get their names yet." He gestured to the spiders. "My Unwoven Coadjutor is called Seyrun. He said it's an honor too."

"Where I was? Oh, yes." Milly's mood suddenly turned somber. She pulled her legs close to her chest and hugged them. "Do you know how my parents are trying to make me marry some noble so the Ashford could rise in status?"

"I know." Lelouch rolled his eyes. "I also know you managed to make any suitor back off through a combination of blackmail, gossip and who knows what else."

"Usually. But I couldn't with the one they found two months ago." Lelouch was startled to see real, pure rage in Milly's eyes. "Baron Ramsley didn't have any weak spot I could use, and he was too well known for my usual methods." She snarled. "He also kept checking me out every time we met. I doubt that pig even remember my face. At one point I decided to talk with my parents, to make them change their minds. That was the first we yelled at each other." Her gaze turned melancholic. "I told them I wanted to be my own person, to be free to make my own decisions. They called me ungrateful, that this was their only chance to regain the prestige that was rightful ours, and how dare I be selfish instead of thinking of the good of the whole family..."

"Milly." Lelouch interrupted her. He put your hand under her chin and gently tilted her head until she was looking at him. "I am going to punch your parents in the face the next time I see them. Don't try to stop me."

"I wouldn't even try." She smiled gently, through her eyes were lucid. But it wasn't tears, not quite. "At this point you probably expect me to say I kept refusing...but I didn't. I don't know why, maybe I was shocked that they weren't even considering my opinion, like I wasn't their daughter but just a useful pawn. So I gave up and told them I would marry the Baron. After that I ran into my room, lock me inside and cried until I fell asleep."

Lelouch didn't know when he hugged Milly, but he hadn't any intention of changing position.

"I was woken up in the middle of the night by the same beautiful music." She smiled at Zenész, who smiled back and kept playing. "It was Nassozra. I suppose your own recruitment speech was also short and vague?"

Lelouch nodded. "We were in the middle of a warzone, so yes it was."

"Well, I accepted. Even if I had known everything I learned later I would have still accepted. I just wanted to keep my freedom." Her lips curved upward as she put a finger over them, her usual mischievousness back in her eyes. "Admittedly waking up naked and with a smashed brass cocoon in my room made the clean-up difficult, but it was worth it because otherwise I would have never met Lady Hegra!"

 **"Hegra? She is a Chosen of Hegra?"** Seyrun muttered. He sounded more surprised that fearful however.

 _'What kind of Yozi is Hegra?'_

 **"Hegra, the Typhoon of Nightmares. She collects the dreams of Creation and then rains them down on Malfeas. When it happens all demons pour into the streets to dance and bask in the psychedelic weather."**

 _'...Are you saying-'_ Lelouch mentally gulped. _'That Milly was chosen by what is basically a rain made of drugs?!'_

 **"...Yes?"**

This was definitely the work of Hell. Only Hell would have allowed such an unholy union.

"Milly." Lelouch tone was totally emotionless. "Please tell me you can't make drugs with your powers."

She giggled. "Don't be silly Lulu."

 _'Thank goodness, that was one bullet dod-'_

"I can't do that yet."

 _'Aaand, why is the world so cruel to hope?'_

"But I can shoot my emotions in the form of meteorological phenomenon. Do you want to see it?"

"There is no need." Lelouch used all his willpower to avoid pleading. "Hegra is your Patron Yozi?" She nodded. "Alright, so you came out of the..."

 **"Chrysalis Grotesque."**

"Chrysalis Grotesque." Lelouch repeated before realizing just what he said. _'Seriously, seriously? Have you ever heard of bad PR?'_

 **"Nope. What's that? Do you eat it?"**

Lelouch ignored him. "And then?"

"Like I said I cleaned up. It wasn't easy, but some of the old maids like me more than my parents and didn't ask questions. After that I talked with Nassozra about my new powers and came up with a plan of action. I waited for Ramsley's next public appearance and went there slowly working up all the hate and disgust I felt towards that filthy pig." She grined savagely. "And then when I saw him I shoved all of my emotions into him."

"What happened?" Lelouch asked, fascinated by the story.

"He started screaming and hitting the person he was talking with." Milly laughed. "Which was a duke."

He grinned. "Stripped of his title?"

"Stripped of his title." She grinned back. "I did the same a few more times, just to hammer down his new reputation, and then stopped."

"Good job." Lelouch hugged her a little tightly before backing off. "Still, the ability to make other feel your same emotions is definitely use-!"

Lelouch stopped, an horrendous suspicion crawling its way up from the back of his mind. "Milly?"

"Yes?"

"Did you use the same trick in your parties? Because I remember enjoying quite a few of them, even the one where we had to come to school in a swimsuit, and I couldn't understand why I was okay with that later..."

Her only answer was a coquettish smile.

"Y-You!" He pointed a finger full of indignation at her. "You raped my mind!"

"Don't be so melodramatic, I just inspired you and a few others. And even if I wanted to rape something, it definitely wouldn't be your mind." Her gaze slowly lowered.

For the sake of his sanity Lelouch ignored all possible implications and stubbornly stick to his point. "Do you have any idea how embarrassed I was? There were even photos of me circulating around!"

"I know: I made and sold them."

"WHAT?!"

"Oh come on Lulu. Relax. Look, I will even repay you." She grabbed his hand-

And pressed it on her breasts. "There. Pretty soft huh? Just say the word and I will remove all the pesky clothes between."

"§# &%$£(!"

"Lulu? Lulu I was joking don't jump out of the window please!"

{●}

A few minutes later Lelouch managed to regain his bearings, if only barely. It was sadly clear that Exalting upgraded Milly's teasing skills too, because they have never been so effective before. "So, you managed to avoid another arranged marriage. And then? Did you go to Malfeas?"

She shook her head. "But I wanted too, so I went to meet the people that summoned Nassozra."

"The cultists?"

"Don't say it as if it is a bad thing." She chided him. "They're very sweet people. It's a community of Elevens and Britannian commoners that live just outside the settlement. I know it sounds strange, but apparently they all got bad deals with the government in favor of the usual privileged, so they sort of banded together before they met an unbound demon." She hummed. "Now they summon demons that can help them with their special abilities, and in exchange they offer prayers and sacrifices, mostly things that can be found only on Earth."

 _'Why does it sound more like a business agreement than a matter of faith?'_

 **"It works, does it not? A smart demon knows how to keep his cultists happy and willing, while those who don't aren't likely to stay in change for long. It's even more important for cults backed by a Second or Third Circle demon. You don't want to fail them."**

"That's how I met Zenész." She gestured at the harpist. "She came bearing a message: it said that my presence wasn't required yet but to stay ready to answer when it is." She shrugged. "So with nothing else to do I continued to go to school while following my Urge."

"Ur...ge?"

"You don't know? It's a task we Infernals are given by our Patron through the connection with our Exaltation. It's the way we receive orders."

 _'Seyrun!'_

 **"I was going to tell you about it!"** He defended himself. **"But then your friend pops up and-"**

 _'Spare me and tell me what Oramus wants me to do. And from now on tell me immediately of any change.'_

 **"Yes, yes understood. Blessed Oramus wants you...to create an empire."**

 _'An...empire?'_

 **"Yes, an empire. I quote: 'One greater than Britannia ever was."**

"An empire..." He repeated out loud, as if reaching an epiphany before chuckling. "Of course. Merely destroying Britannia would send the world into an even greater chaos. To avoid that, I must also create a government that fits my ideals."

"That fits you Lulu. lady Hegra instead wants me to disrupt the rigid hierarchy here in Area Eleven, to make people loosen up. I'm managing to do that, but I'm not making enough progress." She tilted her head, eyeing him, before breaking into a smile. "But if we join forces I am sure we can reach both of our goals way faster!"

"Milly...Are you sure? I am going to oppose the strongest superpower in the world, it will be dangero-"

She silenced him by pressing a finger on his lips. "Lelouch vi Britannia." She said with utmost seriousness. "I may not have suffered as much as you, but I am too a victim of the callousness of Britannia. I held no love for my homeland. The only ones I care about is this school, its students, my freedom, my grandfather..." She grinned. "And obviously my friends. Plus we're both Heroes of Hell now, we ought to play our parts."

He gaped at her before chuckling. "And here I used to think it was me against the world. What a fool I was."

"You totally were Lulu." She smiled before hugging you. Lelouch returned the hug. For once her hands didn't wander around, and for that he was grateful.

"What do you intend to do now?" Milly asked him afterward.

"I think it's better we talk about what we know about our respective powers, so we can coordinate our efforts. What excuse did you use to skip class?" Even if he already suspected the answer.

"Council business."

 _'Thought so.'_ "Then we have time. Are you alright with talking?" She nodded. Pleased with her answer he turned to the spiders. "Go back to search for possible Dragonblooded."

"I don't think they will find any Lelouch." Milly said. At his questioning look she continued. "When I learned Britannia's nobility is full of Dragonblooded I looked at the student's book for any anomaly, and found out there have been some students that were transferred to another school immediately after certain... _strange_ incidents."

"Strange? Like what?"

"A small fire that was attributed to a faulty line, roots that mysteriously grew through the walls, this kind of things. Little oddities with many possible explanations, but after each of them at least one of the students involved would be recalled to the homeland or be transferred to another school."

 **"Ah, I see."**

 _'See what?'_

 **"Anima Flux. The Anima of Dragonblooded is made of their elemental aspect, and can be quite destructive compared to the Anima of other types of Exalt. When a Dragonblooded exalts it's common for the Anima to flare strongly, damaging their surroundings."**

"Ah." Lelouch quickly put the pieces together. "Those students were Dragonblooded that exalted, and the incidents were caused by their out of control Anima. Their transfer was probably their family recalling them for training or to send them to a place to do so."

"Exactly what I thought." Milly agreed. "I spied of the professors, but didn't found anything abnormal. Then again none of them are nobles, so the chances were slim to begin with."

"I see. Still do it anyway." He told the spiders. "I want to be sure."

 **"Yes Boss."** Two of them saluted before dematerializing and leaving.

"So, so!" Milly said, excited like a kid in a candy store. "Tell me what kind of Charms do you have!"

 _'Charms?'_

 **"Oh, by the sacred Azure..."** Seyrun grumbled. **"There are some people - degenerates the lot of them - that call any individual power that isn't Sorcery a 'Charm'. Which, if you ask me, is totally idiotic: who the hell would take you seriously if you say you're going to use your Charms on them?"**

That...he wasn't wrong, Lelouch reflected. Even if they were greatly reduced he was using some of the powers that were once used to shape the entire world. Maybe 'Charm' was the correct term once, but to him it sounded demeaning.

Still, persuading Milly of his point of view was an exercise in futility. It was way easier to get along with it while in his mind Lelouch thought otherwise.

"Well, I-"

"No wait!" She stoped him with a raised palm. "First tell me who your Patron is! It's the Ebon Dragon? Please tell me it's not!" She tearfully pouted. "I don't want you to become a vampire!"

"What?"

 **"What?"**

For once Lelouch and Seyrun were in complete synchrony.

"You know? Incapable of standing sunlight..." She trailed off before her mouth morphed into a 'O'. "Is _that_ what being a creature of darkness means? They're not tall, dark and broody princes of the night?"

 **"What it is...with this klutz?"**

Lelouch massaged his temples to ward off a headache. Trust Milly to be incredibly intelligent and perceptive at times, and a total airhead in others. "No Milly, I am a Fiend but Ebon Dragon is just the Patron of my Caste." A thought came to him and he internally smirked. "My personal Patron is Oramus."

He watched as she stared, likely conversing with her Unwoven Coadjutor, until an expression of pure astonishment appeared on her face.

 _*Flash*_

Lelouch instantly snapped a photo. As she blinked in surprise he sent a copy to his computer just in case. "You shouldn't lower your guard so easily, Madam President." He told her with a grin.

It fell when he saw her grinning too, eyes sparkling with something he recognized very well.

She took up the challenge.

Gods damn it.

{●}

"What do you intend to do now Lelouch?" Milly asked after they exchanged notes on their respective abilities as Exalts.

"I need to contact the terrorists I commanded. Since I already proved myself to them, they're ideal candidates to start building my own army." Lelouch replied. "Even if most of them turn out to be talentless there was one among them who showed tremendous skills at piloting Knightmares. Just having that one would be satisfactory. Beyond that I really want to go to Malfeas to see exactly how much help I can request." He shrugged. "Until that I need to build up my own base before committing to any long-term strategy, and work to undermine Britannia's efficiency."

"I can help with that!" Milly jumped up. "I don't really want to assassinate people, but I can be a spy and procure all kind of dirty secrets about nobles." She took a dancer-like pose. "I'll be a modern Mata Hari!"

"That...would actually be helpful." He mused.

Any further reflection was cut short when he hears the doorbell rings. "Shoot! It's Nunnally! All of you dematerialize! Tell the others to stay hidden!" He ordered, and the Anuhles obeyed.

"It's time for us to go too Zenész." The Angyalkae vanished too. "See you tomorrow Lulu." Milly said before opening the window and jumping outside. Panicking Lelouch ran to it, only to see the blonde running down the wall in blatant defiance of gravity, jumping down on the ground and vanishing without slowing down.

 _'Having some of that wouldn't be bad.'_

 **"I want to make clear I am against you having anything to do with Adorjan."**

 _'Yes, yes: murderous wind. I know, I was just saying.'_

Lelouch quickly discarded the military uniform and put on one of his spare school uniforms. Once everything was in order he called out. "Nunnally? Is that you?"

"Yes Big Brother." She replied back. "You're here early."

"I didn't have much to do after the lessons." It was the truth, since by the time school ended he was just talking to Milly. He walked down the stairs and saw both Nunnally and Sayoko. "Nunnally, Sayoko: welcome back."

"Hello Big Brother." Nunnally smiled.

"It's good to see you-" Sayoko slightly bowed before she looked up. And blinked. "My Lord?"

"Yes?" Lelouch askd, surprised at the fact she worded that like a question. "Is something wrong?"

She kept staring for more than a dozen of seconds before bowing again. "It's nothing My Lord."

 _'What was that?'_

 **"Yo Boss. This maidservant of yours, is she truly a maidservant? Because she gives off a very different feeling."**

 _'What do you-'_

"Who is there?" Nunnally suddenly asked, moving her head around even as her eyes remain closed. "Is someone else here?"

Lelouch's mouth clamped shut. _'Don't say a word until we're alone!'_ He ordered. Seyrun didn't reply.

He forced himself to smile. "What are you saying Nunnally? You, myself and Sayoko are the only one there. Isn't that right Sayoko?"

"It's true Lady Nunnally."

"Oh, is that so?" Lelouch's sister replied in slight confusion. "I thought I heard a voice, but maybe I was wrong..."

"Don't worry about it Nunnally. It must have been some random sound carried by the wind." He knelt down and put his hand on top of hers.

"If you say so bi-" By instinct she put her other hand on top of Lelouch's, but when she did it she froze. "...Big Brother?" She whispered, so faintly Lelouch almost didn't hear her.

"Nunnally?" Concern laced his words, his treacherous mind conjuring dozens of possible reasons for her distress against his will.

"Are you really Lelouch, my Big Brother?"

Lelouch's heart nearly shattered at those words. "What are you saying Nunnally?! Of course I am! You know I would never lie to you. Ask Sayoko."

He expected the maid to confirm his words. Instead she walked behind you and began to touch his face. "It's true Lady Nunnally. He isn't wearing a mask. I can confirm he is Lord Lelouch."

 _'A mask? She thought I was wearing a mask? What the hell?!'_

"Oh...Ah ah." Nunnally laughed, but Lelouch could still detect a hint of nervousness. "Sorry, I must be more tired than I thought. Or maybe I am just hungry?"

"Don't worry Nunnally, we will remedy immediately." He looked at Sayoko, who bowed and walked to the kitchen. Meanwhile He began to push Nunnally's wheelchair towards the dining room. "Warm food, a good night of sleep, and everything will be okay."

"...I hope so, Big Brother."

{●}

 **"I have to say, that sister of you has good senses. I mean, I am just a voice in your head for Malfeas' sake!"**

"What?" Lelouch abruptly turned around, coming face to face with the same demon that gave him his Exaltation. "Seyrun? How? Didn't you fuse with me?"

 **"Look around you."** He followed the demon's advice, and was shocked to discover he was not at Ashford Academy or his room, but in the gardens of Aries Villa. " **You're dreaming. We are in your dreams."**

"My...dreams?" Lelouch held his head with one hand. "Yes, I remember now...I had dinner with Nunnally. We talked a bit before I put her to bed and went to sleep myself." He looked down and realized he was in the body of his ten years old self. "This must be a lucid dream."

 **"That's a term of you humans, I don't know it."** Seyrun moved in front of Lelouch and sit down. " **But I know this is the only way we can talk face to face."** He took out a cigar and began to smoke. " ** ** **Uuhm, memories of cigars long gone. It'll do, I suppose."**  
****  
Lelouch frowned. "You want to talk. Couldn't you have waited tomorrow?"

 ** ** **"Yes, but I wanted to try this feature."** **** He blew out smoke. ** **" **And because this is the best place to do it. To sum it up, by the knowledge I was given our fusion turned out well."**  
****  
"That's a good thing, right?"

 ** ** **"It is. But it also means that I can transfer part of my own knowledge in your mind, to use as you see fit. You only need to decide which one, because there is an upper limit that cannot be raised until you grow in power."**  
****  
"That..." Lelouch stopped to reflected. "Could be useful. What did you do before becoming my Unwoven Coadjutor?"

 ** ** **"I was a professional assassin. I killed people for money."******

"Oh. Then the other Anuhles...?"

 ** ** **"My subordinates. Demands were high, you see?"**  
****

"Considering this is Hell we're talking about..." Lelouch thought for a while. "How good are you at detecting an ambush?"

 **"Very."**

"And making poison?"

 **"I wouldn't be alive if I wasn't."**

Lelouch grinned. "Perfect."

{●}

There are some people who have troubles waking up, needing to be constantly stimulated to shake off drowsiness. Others toss and turn during the night, waking up gasping as if reacting to a shock.

Lelouch was neither. One moment he was asleep - the next he was awake, eyes opening smoothly as they stare at the familiar ceiling of his room. Without missing a beat he rose to his feet and walked into the bathroom, stopping in front of the mirror above the sink.

A slight exertion of will, and a black disk so dark that it almost hurts to gaze upon appears above his brows.

 _'So it was real.'_

 **"Did you really think it was a dream?"** Seyrun asked you.

 _'I considered it a possibility, yes.'_ Lelouch replied as he started his daily morning ablutions. _'After all, it would be unbelievable without solid proof.'_

 **"Paranoia is all well and good, but you need to relax every now and then. Or get an hobby."**

 _'Like your cigars?'_

 **"That's more like an addition, but let's not nitpick marottes."**

He didn't even ask what that last thing was, probably some more demon lore. He had just put on his uniform that two Anuhles appeared. **"Reporting Boss!"**

"What did you find?"

 **"There are no Dragonblooded on campus, nor any other suspicious thing. The only presences of note are the Princess and her cohort."**

 _'Very good: it means the Academy is still a safe place for me and Nunnally.'_

 **"Actually, you could have tried recruiting a few. A Dragonblooded as a minion is way better than a mortal."**

 _'Uhm, you aren't entirely wrong.'_ Lelouch reflected on Seyrun's words. _'But as the scions of noble Britannian houses it would be difficult to sway them into betraying their homeland...'_ You pause to contemplate a sudden thought. _'Unless, of course, there are families that bear Dragonblooded heritage outside of Britannia?'_

 **"There should be. Sadly I wasn't given any data about that topic. My advice still stand: when you can, recruit Exalts."**

He had to admit, it was sound advice. "Good work. You can go." The spiders nodded and left.

There were no traces of the tension of yesterday at breakfast, Nunnally was back to her usual sweet self and everything was right in Lelouch's life...the one restricted to school at least.

The problems began when he left to attend a planned reunion of the Student Council before classes start. As he walked through campus he couldn't help but notice that the stares from other students...were way more numerous than normal. Lelouch knew he had a discrete fame among the female population thanks to his good looks (despite your every attempt to appear as boring as possible at every occasion) but they never stopped what they were currently doing to just follow him with their eyes before.

And then he noticed the _male_ students was doing the same. He rubbed his lips and the skin around them, thinking there were traces of jam left from breakfast, but his hand came back clean. _'What is happening?'_

 **"Sorry Boss, I know nothing about human interaction with each others. You are on your own."**

Not that Leluch expected any help from a demonic spider. He barely understood the mentality of highschool students himself.

Entering the Council room he found it empty, meaning he was the first that day. With nothing better to do he began preparing the paperwork for the day's task, which was...inspection on the clubs' budget? With all the amount of work there was everyone should have started on it the day before. _'I suppose there isn't a power to do paperwork faster?'_

 **"That's more like up a Solar's alley."**

He hummed. _'But you also said that as a Fiend I can learn the power of other Exalts.'_

 **"Not all of them and it takes more time, but yes. However, you need to see them in action first, and know enough about how Essence works to reverse-engineer the steps leading to them. Or you can go and consult the libraries of Orabilis in Malfeas, which contain a lot of lore accumulated since the First Age."**

The door opened and Rivalz, Shirley and Nina walked into the room. Lelouch's partner in illegal betting greeted him jovially. "Lelouch buddy! Finally fo..."

He frowned as the blue-haired boy trailed off, hand still raised in the air as he stared at Lelouch. Even Nina, who normally had eyes only for the computer, and Shirley weredoing the same. Uhm, how come Shirley's cheeks were red? Lelouch hoped it wasn't a cold, missing a member would mean more work. "Alright, now you tell me what is wrong. I've been stared since morning. Why?"

"Uh..." Rivalz stuttered before couching. "Buddy, you look... _different_?"

"Is that a question?"

"...Maybe?"

"Then the answer is no." He scoffed. "There is nothing different in me today, I am the same as I was yesterday."

One of the biggest lies of his life, but he didn't want to involve the rest of the Council in his secret life.

Milly chose that moment to enter the room, leaning between Shirley and Nina while her hands groped a breast of each young girl. "Morning my dear servants! Ready for another day of righteous work?"

"MADAM PRESIDENT!"

 _'Finally, some normality.'_

 **"You call this normality?"**

{●}

 _'...Wait, it takes five days to cross Cecelyne, no matter which direction you take or how fast you go? How does that even work?'_

 **"Endless Desert, that's how. Cecelyne represents infinity, If she wants she can trap someone for eternity...but the terms of surrender stated that any travel from Creation to Malfeas can't last more than Calibration, which is made of five days. There are ways to skip that, but they require high-ranked Ar-"**

"Lelouch!" The raven-haired boy's conversation with his head-voice was interrupted by Milly smacking him in the head with a rolled-up newspaper. "You were asleep just now, weren't you? Your hand stopped moving."

Lelouch's hand came up and snatched the newspaper away. "I was just lost in thought. You don't need to hit me."

Rivalz grinned. "Served you right for ditching me like that."

"That's right! What were you two doing yesterday?" Shirley asked.

"Nothing worth mentioning." Lelouch replied absentmindedly before a title on the newspaper catches his attention. Opening it He began to read:

 _"-when the initially announced urban renewal operation turned out to be a cover-up for a large scale military operation against terrorists armed with poison gas. However, it came as a shocking turn of events when in his first official appearance after the fact the Viceroy declared that the whole incident was orchestrated by traitors inside the Pureblood Faction. Ignoring numerous protests His Highness has announced that every member will be put under investigation for allegedly treason against the Crown, suspended from active service until final judgment and all their possessions frozen to allow better scruti-"_

"Lelouch...?"

"Yes Rivalz?"

"I don't know what is making you so happy, but could you stop smiling? You're scaring me!"

"Oh, is that so?" He put away the newspaper and turned to look at his fellow Council members, who all looked paler than usual. Except Milly, who was taking a deep breath...oh.

"GUTS!" She shouted.

While everyone else whimpered at the volume Lelouch pointed the pen at her and glared. "Don't you dare."

"Whatever do you mean Lelouch?" She grinned back.

"That 'Guts' spell again?"

 _'Oh Rivalz, you have no idea what she can make you do.'_ "Just tell us to work harder, will you?" Lelouch then realized it was the perfect moment to enact the plan he made after Seyrun explained how to increase his abilities. "Actually, I have a proposal."

Every eye turn to him.

"I have no doubt we can get the club budgets balanced today, but how do we know they are spending them wisely? One of us should do surprise inspections on the various clubs during the following week, joining their activities to gauge first-hand."

"Ooh, an interesting proposal." Milly hummed while Shirley and Rivalz offered comments in the background. "You realize that, as the one who came up with it, it's you who will do the inspections?"

"But of course." Lelouch's reply was so shocking that even Nina turned away from the computer to stare at him. "An entire week, during which I will be unable to help with paperwork? Sounds like a deal."

Shock was replaced by groans about the unfairness of life.

 _'Just as planned.'_

{●}

"Geez! I swear the President is an old man on the inside!" Shirley complained with a pout as Lelouch, Rivalz, Nina and her walked to class.

"Milly has always been like that." Nina defended the blonde bombshell.

 _'Whimsical like the wind? Yes. Her dirty jokes? That is all puberty's fault. And it's likely Exalting made it even worse.'_

"Well we got the budget report done on time, so it's all good." Rivalz commented with a grin.

"So it's not because you share Milly's interest in Shirley's breasts?"

Lelouch's grin grew an inch longer as the two victims sputtered and blushed fiercely. _'Man, I'm on a roll today. Since when do I enjoying teasing so much?'_

 **"I think it may be an effect of your recent Exaltation. The world-changing feeling of it is bound to last more than a few hours. You'll surely going back to normal once you're fully acclimatized with it."**

 _'Oh? It makes sense I suppose. In exchange for such power, a few days of highlighted emotional state is nothing.'_

When Lelouch reached his desk he noticed a group of girls making a fuss around one of them. A girl with red hair, if he remembered right she was often ab-

His gaze landed on her face.

Lelouch's eyes widened as he recognized her as the pilot of the red Glasgow, who was also the redhead he gave the codename of Q-1.

 **"Boss, I think we found the way to contact the terrorists."** Seyrun announced with smugness.

Oh yes, indeed.

{●}

Kubouin Hidenobu watched the footage on the screen with rapt awe. It was truly terrifying what the new Britannian Knightmare was capable of. The fact that the pilot of the Sutherland that took the footage had managed to hold her own for so long was a testament to her skill. As the video continued, the mysterious 'Zero' showed up in his own Knightmare and coordinated an attack that result in damage to the new model, followed up by a suicide attack in which Zero ejected and allowed the pilot to escape. The video feed ended there.

"My, how bold!" exclaimed the young woman sitting on the opposite side of the table from him.

"Indeed, Kaguya-sama." Hidenobu readily agreed. Kaguya-sama's word was divine, after all. "Quite a brave act, taking such a risk to let Shinjuku group escape. Truly a miracle, given how the situation could have ended in tragedy."

"Yes. I honestly can't imagine what Kirihara was thinking when he gave the information about the poison gas to them." There was venom in her voice, Hidenobu noted. She was still angry with Taizo. Even now, after Hidenobu had realized the truth, Taizo just couldn't see it. He still treated Kaguya-sama, head of the Sumeragi family, as if she was a mere child. Hidenobu knew better. "Without Zero's intervention, all of Shinjuku would have been massacred."

Hidenobu tried to refrain from sighing. He could not do something so unsightly in her presence. "Yes, it would have been terrible. Taizo does what he thinks best, and he must have thought it worth the risk, but still..." He shrugged. Taking a brief moment to think while stroking his beard, he decided to see if he could lighten his lady's mood. "Well, at least it turned out well. Even if they didn't attain their original goal, Britannia suffered terrible losses and the Shinjuku group managed to keep five of the Sutherlands that Zero captured. I still have to wonder how he did that."

Kaguya-sama's frown turned into a bright smile, lighting up the room. "Yes! Such an amazing victory. I don't think the JLF has managed something that spectacular in years." His lady turned introspective for a moment. "Hmmm... I wonder." She began to whisper to herself. "Yes, it seems likely, but... if he's one of ours... should we... I think... really? So then..."

"Kaguya-sama?" He hadn't quite heard what she had said. His lady would sometimes do that. She would seem to space out and quietly talk to herself. He knew the truth of it though. His lady was communing with the divine. He didn't know why he hadn't seen it before, but now he just knew.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Hidenobu-dono."

"Think nothing of it, Kaguya-sama. Nothing you could do could possibly offend me."

"Ara, you flatter me!" She giggled. "Now, who else has the information on what happened in Shinjuku?"

"Ah, yes. Taizo knows the very basics of it, but he has very little in the way of details as of yet. My agents are the ones who are in communication with the Shinjuku cell, after all. I had to tell him something, but I didn't want to let him know everything without your blessing."

Kaguya-sama nodded to him. "Ensure it stays that way. The footage we just watched is something we can use at just the right moment - the pilot who managed to stand against the new Britannian model is an ideal candidate for the Guren. We can use that to delay the decision to give it to the JLF until we've brought enough of the others to my side for the Kyoto House to change leaders."

"Of course, Kaguya-sama." The others would see it soon. They would know that Kaguya was the instrument of the kami, that her word was divine and should be followed. It was through her blessing that the liberation would come, not through the machinations of mere men such as himself or Taizo. The others would realize it. He was eager to tell them his beliefs, but his lady had counseled patience. They would come to understand in time.

"Keep me appraised of the activities of the Shinjuku group. If Zero contacts them again, I want to know as soon as possible." She stated quite firmly. "Oh! Before I forget..." she gestured to a nearby servant, who came bearing a wrapped box for him to take. "You'll be going to visit Tousai-dono in a few days, yes? A gift for him and his wife. Candied locusts."

"Oh! Munakata will be very pleased with this gift, Kaguya-sama. I don't know where you get these delicacies, but he's always had a taste for the exotic. They'll absolutely love them."

His goddess's radiant smile grew. It took all his will to resist the urge to bow down before her divine grace. "Yes, I'm sure they will."

* * *

Charms Database:

 **From Oramus**

 **Beautiful In My Way** : you are super pretty! So much so that everyone become fascinated with you, even if you or them don't want to.


	4. Chapter 4

**Dislaimer:** I do not own Code Geass, which is propriety of Studio Sunrise, and neither do I own Exalted, which is property of White Wolf Publishing.

This fiction originally appeared as a quest-style story on the forum Sufficient Velocity. As such do not be confused by the strange structure.

* * *

 **Fiendish Advent - Act 4**

{●}

After considering various possibilities Lelouch decided to approach this from two different angles. She was a terrorist, and he didn't know enough about her to expose any of his secrets; perhaps later, if she turned out to be trustworthy, but not before. Still, it was best to keep her close where he would be able to observe. Lelouch also needed to find out why an apparently Britannian student was working as a terrorist for an Eleven cell.

"Lelouch, what are you looking at? Perhaps you have a crush on her?" Rivalz, who hadn't forgotten the jab of before and was obviously intent on merciless revenge, playfully told Lelouch from behind his back.

"I just think that's unusual to see her." The raven-haired youth replied, unfazed. "If I am not mistaken, she hasn't been at school since the opening ceremony, has she?" He may not care much, but he _did_ pay attention to who was in his class.

Lelouch's blue haired friend took out a notebook and began flipping through the pages until he found what he was looking for. "Kallen Stadtfeld. They say she's sick or something. She only showed up occasionally last year too. But her grades are top-notch. She's the only heir to the Stadtfeld family, which means she's well-bred and rolling in money. Man, you sure know how to pick 'em." He playfully elbowed the young Fiend.

Lelouch waved him off. "It's nothing like that."

"Denial, denial." Rivalz grinned. "A bit too sheltered though if you ask me."

Right. If all sheltered young girls were as good with Knightmares as her, then we was going to recruit them en-masse. But now Lelouch had a name and some details: acting as a meek and weak person, good grades, doing dangerous activities in her free time with a 180° turn in personality...

He blinked. Was he describing her, or himself? That was a pretty amazing coincidence. It needed investigating.

As the lesson began Lelouch opened his cellphone under the desk and wrote a message.

 _"Milly, do you know a girl called Kallen Stadtfeld?"_

 _"Lulu! I have lesson right now. You bad boy, you! :o But you're forgiven! ;) Now tell me all about the girl that managed to impress our dear ice prince!"_

He resisted the urge to facepalm.

 _"It's not like that. I recognized her as one of the terrorists I helped."_

 _"Ah. Oh dear, I suppose it makes sense."_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"Grandfather told me about her. According to her middle school transcripts she is half-Japanese, born from Viscount Stadtfeld's previous marriage."_

An half, uh? That explained a lot.

 _"Why did Ruben wanted to talk about her?"_

 _"We talked about adding her to the Student Council. Officially because she can't join any other club due to her weak body (which I assume it's an act?). Unofficially, to help her keep her past hidden."_

Ah Ruben, always thinking about the well-being of his students first. But that's also why Lelouch respected him.

 _"Let's do it. Adding her to the Council I mean. I will also need your help to set up an encounter with her group. Wait for me in the student council room."_

 _"Okey dokey. Keep her safe Lelouch, even if a terrorist she's still a student her. Buh-bye :-* :-*"_

Lelouch closed his phone, put it away and raised his hand. "I'm sorry professor, can I go to the bathroom?"

"Make it quick Lamperouge, we're about to reach an important topic."

"Yes sir." He left the classroom and entered the nearest bathroom. Once he was sure nobody else was there he raised two fingers. "I want two of you to follow the redheadgirl: gather information and ensure she doesn't harm any of the other students. If the latter happens attack to submit, not kill."

Then he raised one finger. "Another one will go in my room and open the third drawer to the right of my desk. Bring me the item inside."

{●}

 _'Are they really afraid of a single bee? The poor insect is probably more afraid than them.'_ Lelouch deadpaned in his own mind as he saw the girls Stadtfeld hung around with panic and flee.

By pure luck the redhead ran in his direction and hid behind the bushes, the bee following her. Once she thought nobody was looking she stood up calmly and looked at the bee buzzing around. "I don't get it, why is it following me? I wonder if there is a beehive around here?" She muttered before smacking the bee out of the air, faster than a supposedly sickly girl should be able to.

 **"Good movements, but she lacks finesse."** Seyrun commented. **"That, and killing prey without eating it? Wasteful."**

 _'Insects are not among the most common Britannian types of food.'_ Lelouch informed him while slowly walking towards her. _'Though I suppose it counts as an exotic specialty.'_

"Geez, I hate this! I am sick of acting like a freaking invalid!" Kallen Stadtfeld muttered before biting into a sandwich. Then she looked over to see Lelouch standing there, clearly having witnessed her deft killing of the bee and breaking the false character she played at school. Taking the sandwich from her mouth, she asked: "I-is there something you want from me?"

"Miss Stadtfeld, I'm Lelouch Lamperouge, the Student Council Vice-President. Could you please come with me? The President would like to speak with you." He put on his best smile, and she actually blushed for a moment. "Oh, and don't worry, I'll keep your secret."

Kallen tensed up, clearly worried. Still smiling, Lelouch put her at ease. "I'd do anything to get out of gym class, too."

The dumbfounded look on her face was priceless. "I-uh-what?" She coughed before smiling awkwardly. "Right, of course it's that! Oops? Could you...you know...please not tell anybody? It's embarrassing..."

"No problem. Now please come, the President doesn't like walking."

"O-Okay." She hesitated before starting to follow him. "What does the President want with me?"

"I don't know." He lied. "You will have to ask her yourself."

Milly was already there when the two reached the Council room. "Kallen Stadtfeld? I'm Milly, the Student Council President. Nice to meet you!" She greeted the redhead before shaking her hand vigorously.

"Nice to meet you too?" Kallen replied, evidently overwhelmed by Milly's personality.

"You aren't in any club, right?" Kallen shook her head. "Then do you want to join the Student Council?"

"Eh?!"

"That's a great idea." Lelouch smiled and nodded sagely. "We really need another pair of hands. Was it your idea?"

"No, it was grandfather's. Since all students must join a club in their second year." The blonde turned to the redhead with a smile. "What do you think?"

Kallen smiled weakly. "I really appreciate it, but I don't think..." She started before Milly interrupted her.

"No need to be so stiff." She walked behind her and put her hands on the redhead's shoulders. Lelouch was honestly expecting her to go lower. "Let me and Lelouch tells you all about how good of a job it is..."

The young Fiend wondered if it was because it was him and Milly, or just two Exalts against a mortal, but it didn't take long for Kallen to lose her reservations and agree. "Well, I guess it couldn't hurt to try it out."

"That's great!" The blonde hugged the redhead, eliciting a squeal from the latter. "Lelouch, gives Kallen a roundup of what she will needs to do. We will organize a proper welcoming party tomorrow at the clubhouse. Is that okay?"

"But of course Madam President." He replied before opening the door for her like a perfect gentleman.

When she walked past, Lelouch handed her the tape recorder out of Kallen's sight.

"Actually I am going to do a series of surprise inspections on the other clubs starting today, so I will not be present much for the rest of the week." He told Kallen as he took out the documents and arranged them neatly on the table. "I will cover as much as possible in the limited time we have. Please hold the fort until I'm back, okay?"

"Yes, thank you for the help. But surely it's not that hard?"

"It's not. The real hazard is Mi-" At that moment the phone ringed. "Excuse me." He walked to the phone and answered the call. "Hello? This is the Ashford Academy Student Council."

"This is _sooo_ exciting!" Milly squealed. "I am in the boy's bathroom, and about to engage in a secret operation!"

...Nope, not touching that. "Oh?" Lelouch feigned surprise before handing the phone to Kallen. "It's for you."

"For me?" Kallen replied confused before taking it. "Hello?"

 _"Glad to see you're okay Q-1."_ Even if Lelouch couldn't hear it he knew exactly what Kallen was hearing, since he made the tape himself. _"The day after tomorrow at 1600 hours, come to the viewing platform at Tokyo Tower. You can bring your friends: it's time you and me finally meet."_

"Wait! Tell me, are you the one from Shinjuku?!" She yelled into the phone, but the registration has ended and so had the call.

"Shinjuku?" Lelouch asked her.

"Ah. Well you see-"

"Yesterday me and my friend passed near it. We didn't see anything, but it's better this way." He sit down and frowned a little while sorting the documents. "We were too busy calming down after a truck almost run us over. It even crashed into a building yard and then run away before we could call the rescuers. Can you believe it?"

Kallen's mouth clamped shut, pink spreading on her cheeks. "Yes, the type of people they give a license those days..." She laughed nervously.

{●}

"Is this it?" Lelouch wondered aloud before reading the plate above the door. "Survival Game Club? I know we had a club like that, but..." He took note again of the blocky, simplistic building with cracked tiles, used human targets scattered around and- "Are those grenades?"

All in all it looked less like a highschool club and more like an illegal shooting range.

Still, he couldn't back down: he needed the training. With that thought Lelouch walked to the door and knocked.

No response. He knocked again, and this time the door opened slowly. "Hello, I am here on the Co-"

The next few seconds were a confused blur. Lelouch remembered something obscuring his vision before being trapped in something that felt suspiciously like a sack, being manhandled roughly and made to sit on a chair before being tied to it.

So of course when there was a cutting sound and his head was freed Lelouch's reaction was perfectly natural. "What the _fuck_?!"

 **"Boss! Give the order to attack before they do Kimbery knows what to you!"**

"Pretty bold for a spy." A girl with long purple hair walked into his field of vision, a group of other students standing nearby. "What manner of business do you have with our club?"

Lelouch's right eyebrow started twitching erratically. However, before he could respond another girl gasped and ran to whisper something into the violet haired girl's ear. The latter blinked. "You're the Student Council's Vice-President?"

"Lelouch Lamperouge. A pleasure to meet you." He smiled his best fake smile. His eyes widened minutely as he saw the Anuhles hanging from the ceiling, ready to jump down and commit a massacre. He slightly shook his head and they dematerialized. "Now, can you please tell just what is happening?"

"My name is Caitlin Tiffany Glass. I am the Survival Game Club's president." She presented herself stylishly. "We thought you were a spy, so we reacted accordingly."

He gaped. "I knocked at the door!"

"A clever spy."

 **"No, that is a stupid one."**

After silently agreeing with Seyrun Lelouch glared at her. "Let's forget it. Now, can someone finally untie me?" It was less a request and more a demand.

Luckily they did it promptly, and soon he was free again. While he rubbed his sore wrists Glass addressed him again. "So, for what reason did the Student Council's Vice-President come here personally."

Lelouch conceded himself a few more seconds of irritation before switching to pure professionalism. "Surprise inspection."

Glass and the other members looked at him in confusion.

"It was decided that, in order to verify the budget we provide to Ashford's clubs is well used, a member of the Council will perform surprise inspections and temporarily join the club activities in order to gauge first-hand."

There was silence.

And then Glass put Lelouch in an one arm's chokehold that severely restricted his ability to breath. "YESSS!" She yelled victoriously. "Welcome to the Survival Game Club new member! We will have so much fun together!"

 _'It's only for today!'_ "Uh holly gudai!"

"Now!" She put a piece of paper and a pen under his nose. "Firm this document that relieve the club from any responsibility in case of injury, maiming, coma and other minutiae."

 _'You call those minutiae?!'_

{●}

"Lord Lelouch? Are you alright?" Sayoko asked the moment the raven-haired youth returned home looking like shit.

"Due to Council's affairs I participate to the Survival Game Club activities." He stoically told her. "They're trigger happy."

Even if mostly it was the male members who seemed to have a fixation for him.

Sayoko mulled over his words for a bit before bowing. "I understand. If you like, I can take care of dinner by myself."

"Yes, that would be helpful. Sorry to burden you like this Sayoko." He grimaced, but she just smiled and asked him to take a seat.

Dinner was a simple affair. During it Nunnally talked excitedly how Sayoko was teaching her to make origami, so much that she ended spilling some of the soup on her chin.

"You don't have to talk so quickly." Lelouch said tenderly while cleaning her with a napkin. "I am not going anywhere."

"Thank you Big Brother." Nunnally smiled. "I glad. Last night, you were a bit scary."

"Oh?" He quickly hid his surprise. "I'm sorry, but like I said don't worry about it. It's partially my fault too, I had a lot on my mind recently."

That, of course, was a severe euphemism.

"Hey." Nunnally showed him a pink crane made of paper. "They said that if you fold a thousand of those cranes, your wishes will be granted."

 **"That sound like a ritual to ask a God for a boon."** Seyrun commented in a very low voice. Just in case. **"Even if I have my doubts about what the God of Origami can realistically do."**

 _'A God...of Origami?'_

 **"There is a God for everything Boss. Even the cutlery you are using each has a half aware least god, but those guys are mostly just energy who record the object's history. Higher ranked Gods are instead provided with a portfolio among those available from the Celestial Bureaucracy, but I heard that since the Great Contagion they are troubled by an overflow of jobless Gods and rampant corruption."**

Lelouch resisted the urge to raise his eyes to the sky. _'For being Heaven, it has surprisingly human-like problems.'_

 **"It's you humans who imitate them, not the contrary."**

"Is there anything you wish for?" Nunnally asked him.

 _'A lot, but I don't want to ask a crappy god for that. I prefer to work for them myself.'_ "No, no really. What about you?"

Nunnally thought about it for a while before answering. "I wish for a kinder world."

Lelouch smiled. That was just like his sister. "I'm sure that by the time you can see again, the world will be like that."

"Really?"

He put his hands over hers. "I promise."

Even if he had to crack Hell open and bring down Heaven for that.

 **"The world is broken."**

It was.

 **"The cycle of betrayal and usurpation must be stopped."**

It must be.

 **"It is said even an Exaltation can only grants its bearer the capacity to make a single choice and achieve it, never two or more conflicting ones at the same time. Are you prepared to bear all obstacles and consequences?"**

 _'Have you ever read Paradise Lost of John Milton? My favorite part is this:_

 _Here we may reign secure; and in my choice  
To reign is worth ambition, though in hell:  
Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven.'_

 **"I didn't, but I like it. There is no power without ambition, that is one of the truths of Hell."**

Then so be it.

Lelouch was put out of his internal monologue by Nunnally locking their pinky fingers. "I learned this recently. It's how Japanese people make promises." She began to sing.

 _"Cross my heart,  
hope to die,  
eat a thousand needles  
if I lie.  
Pinky promise!"_

He blinked. For a moment he almost felt compelled to use his Anima power, but quickly suppressed it. "That's scary. I may have to eat a thousand needles someday."

"Yup. So you shouldn't lie."

"Don't worry, I won't lie."

 _'At least, not to you.'_

{●}

After dinner Lelouch decided to retire to his room. After making sure the door was closed he sit down, took out paper and a pencil and began to draw. If the silk of the Anuhles was as strong as Seyrun said then he wanted not only a school uniform and casual clothes, but also an appropriate costume for when he would meet the terrorists. It was likely to become his trademark or icon, so it had to be adequate for the task.

 _'Tell me Seyrun.'_ He asked his mental advisor while scribbling. _'Does Malfeas have any common symbolism or color themes?'_

 **"Green, Brass and Basalt."** The spider replied immediately. **"The first is Ligier, the other two are the main materials the Demon City offers. There are more, but whatever you do don't use azure."**

 _'Why?'_

 **"Azure is the color sacred to Cecelyne. Only her priests can use it. Doing otherwise is punishable by death."**

A bit extreme if he can say so. _'Any other color under a similar taboo?'_

 **"No. Certain colors or combinations of them can point to a specific profession or to whom a demon is vassal to, but only the Sacred Azure is inviolable, for it represents the laws that all demons must follow. Malefactors can use it since they are considered among the priests, but doing so outside official business is frowned upon."**

 _'Got it. I wasn't planning to use it anyway. Other colors associated with Yozis that can be used instead?'_

 **"Uhm...Well the Ebon Dragon favors black obviously, and Adorjan red. She Who Live in Her Name-"**

As he keeps talking Lelouch's hand kept moving. Something impressive and fascinating, but not ridiculous. Evocative, but not obvious. Practical and efficient, but not minimalistic.

At one point he turned on his computer and copied what he made, followed by adding colors.

 **"Boss...this..."**

Lelouch looked upon the finished product on the screen, the program's automatic functions correcting errors until all proportions were perfect.

And he knew, that what was staring back at him was his _future_.

 **"This will have a _looot_ of success!"** Seyrun finished jubilantly.

Lelouch smileed and agreed. "It will."

There was only a small detail left.

{●}

 _August 12th_

"Here it is. Just as you have ordered Madam." The clerk handed over a box.

"Thank you sonny." The old woman took out the order and, after a quick examination, smiled to show everything was in order.

"I have to say, I've made many mask for many parties but never one made entirely of metal."

"I wanted an original gift for my grandson, something that will last." She smiled again and put the money on the counter. "Thanks again, and goodbye sonny."

"Goodbye Madam."

While the clerk was counting the money the old woman put the order inside the box and left the shop, limping on her cane.

Ten minutes later Lelouch was sitting on the train that would bring him back to the Tokyo Settlement, the box resting on his lap. _'It took a long time, but it was worth it.'_

 **"You could have simply killed the maker."**

 _'I could have. But he was not a soldier, so no. Letting Britannia wonder how a frail and weak old woman is connected to Zero would be entertaining however.'_

 **"You're the Boss."**

{●}

The party to welcome Kallen into the Student Council went as well as expected. Lelouch and Milly prepared the food, Shirley, Rivalz and Nina welcomed the newcomer and even Nunnally was there to enjoy it, though initially Lelouch was again her helping to bring the plates to the table.

"So! How about a toast to our new member?" And then Rivalz had to bring out a bottle of champagne.

Shirley was on him in the brink of an eye. "Rivalz we're underage! Where did you get that? Give it to me!"

He twisted and turned before tossing the bottle to the young Fiend. "Lelouch, pass!"

He caught it, but before Shirley could pounce on he raised a hand. "Stop!" She instantly obeyed, instinctively going straight like a soldier called to attention. With the mood having calmed down Lelouch read the label and confirmed it was indeed champagne. He walked to the table, put down the bottle and fixed his blue-haired friend with a disapproving gaze. "No one is drinking while Nunnally is present."

"Big Brother, I don't mind." Lelouch's little sister said, a glass of orange's juice given to her by Milly in her hands.

"But I do." He poured himself a glass of ginger ale and took a sip.

"Lelouch, that's not fair!" Rivalz whined. "There are limits to even being a siscon!"

Lelouch would have replied to that, were him not too busy coughing and spluttering.

Milly elbowed Kallen and leered while pointing a thumb at him. "He totally is one. Ice prince one second, a mother hen the next."

To Lelouch's horror both Shirley and Nina nodded, agreeing completely.

"Big Brother? What does 'siscon' mean?"

 _'NOOOOOOO!'_

{●}

 _August 13th_

Kallen suppressed a snicker as she recalled the party of yesterday, and Lamperouge's attempts to strangle Cardemonde. She had her doubts, but the members were a lot more entertaining that her supposed 'friends'. At least they didn't constantly talk about shallow topics or use derogatory slurs against Japanese people.

 _'Not like this stupid propaganda.'_ Her eyes narrowed in disgust at the exhibit of photos taken during the war, while the speakers spew lies that paint Britannia as enlightened and Japan as a country of savages that only profited from being enslaved. Ohgi and two others were standing nearby, keeping an eye on her while making sure to appear interested in the display. _'Did Zero pick this place on purpose?'_

 _"Attention please. Miss Kallen Stadtfeld of Ashford Academy, your lost item has been delivered to the service counter."_ A voice suddenly blared through the speakers. _"Please proceed to the service counter of the viewing platform to collect your lost item."_

She looked up in surprise before understanding immediately: it had to be the mysterious Zero's method to contact them. She went to the counter, where they handed her a phone, one of those simple prepaid types you can use and discard without none the wiser. She just had time to walk to the observation platform that she received a call, the caller ID simply saying 'Zero'. "Hello?"

 _"Take the outbound line of the fifth Kanjo line. Get out on Shibuya."_

"Eh?" But the voice had already hung up. _'What's up with him?'_ She frowned before taking a furtive glance at Ohgi. A minute movement of his eyes was all the acknowledging she needed.

Twenty minutes later she had taken the Kanjo line and reached the Shibuya ghetto, her friends trailing behind her.

 _"One hundred yards straight. Right. Left. Left. Fifty-two yards straight and then right. Enter the old building with the great 'X'."_

She followed the instructions, idly noting that the area was unusually desert even for a ghetto, and reached the destination: a theatre with great fissures on its first and second floors that form a crude 'X' shape. By this point Ohgi and the others had given up subtlety and entered together with her.

 _("Lelouch. They've entered the building.")_

 _("Perfect. Good job Milly.")_

 _("Make sure to tape it! It's not everyday that I can see your acting skills in action.")_

 _("...I will see what I can do.")_

"O-ohgi." One of the group, a guy with blue hair, muttered while they walked deeper into the building. "What if is it a trap?"

"I assure you, it is no trap." A voice said suddenly.

They stopped, right in the middle of a cone of light entering from a crack in the wall. Forestalled by the rhythmic sound of steps they watched as a figure emerged from the darkness and approached them. "Are you Zero?"

"I am." With a final movement the figure stepped into the light, eliciting a small gasp from everyone, included Kallen. Zero was wearing a cape of the deepest black flowing behind him like the wings of a great bat, the insides being painted a thick vermilion, almost like blood, and edged with brilliant green. Under it he wore an equally black suit with brass-colored stripes. Around the neck there was a silver scarf. His face was concealed by an helmet-like mask, completely black save for a deep purple faceplate surrounded by a white circle, branching into seven spikes: three at the top and two on either side of the head.

Kallen had to admit it cut an awe-inspiring, if terrifying, figure.

Then Zero surprised everyone by offering a polite bow. "I thank you for being here today. I am sure you will not regret it." He straightened up and pointed an arm at them, fingers cupped and palm facing upward. "I also want to praise your performance at Shinjuku. I am sure none of you have had any real military training, and yet you performed marvelously. It takes courage - and bravery - to oppose Britannia."

Ohgi spoke. "Yes, we know. There is a difference between us and the Britannians, a very harsh one. That's why we resist them."

"Admirable. However, merely resisting will not give you Japan, and you know it." Zero lowered his hands before dramatically spreading both to either side, making his cape flap. "That is why my goal is the complete and total destruction of Britannia, and the liberation of all people who suffer under their rule!" At their collective gasp he stepped forward and held out a hand. "And I want you, all of you, to form the foundation of an army that will work towards that end."

"What? An army? Are you joking?"

"I assure you this is no joke." The mask turned to face Kallen. "Or maybe you doubt my ability to back up my claims? In that case you only have to think back to the battle of three days ago. Your group has no formal military training, and yet under my leadership you were able to inflict more casualties against Britannia in a single battle than any other Japanese group has since the miracle of Itsukushima. Am I wrong?" At their silence he continued. "If it had not been for the white Knightmare our victory would have been total, but even if we were forced to retreat you, Q-1, still had the skill to hold your own." Kallen felt pride swells up inside her at those words. "Working together you and I even managed to damage it."

"But we still lost..." One of Ohgi's friends commented.

"Maybe militarily, but we still won a strategic victory." Walking closer he took out from one sleeve a rolled newspaper and showed the front page to them, stopping a few yards from Kallen.

She read the title. "What? It's that bogus story about the capsule being stolen by-" Her eyes widened in realization. "That was _you?!_ "

Zero laughed. "Did you think I ran with my tail between my legs? Using clandestine resources available to me I had Clovis convinced that your stealing the poison gas capsule was actually a plot hatched by the Purebloods by using the IFF data from the Knightmare I stole from a Pureblood as 'proof'." He rolled up the newspaper and tossed it at Ohgi, who fumbled a bit before properly catching it. "Because of this Clovis is going to tear his own government apart looking for 'traitors'. If everything goes as planned, the internal strife will make liberating Japan become much easier."

"And you...planned all of this?" One of them asked in awe.

Zero didn't say anything, but Kallen could almost picture him smirking knowingly under his mask. After ten seconds he broke the silence. "Knowing this, will you follow me? Or, maybe, you are satisfied with your current sponsor?" He tilted his head.

Ohgi scratchesd the back of his head. "It's not that. Sure the information about the poison gas was useful, but you saved us and even gave us Knightmares..."

The man's words confirmed to Lelouch one of his first suspicions: that their cell had, indeed, the backing of a greater organization. _'The most likely suspects are the Six Houses of Kyoto, through intermediaries since their cell is too small to warrant direct interaction.'_

"Will you show us your face?" And here it was, the inevitable question. Unsurprisingly, it was Kallen that made it first, but Lelouch could see the growing curiosity in the others' eyes.

He knew they would ask to see behind the mask of Zero, but he was prepared for this. "I'm sorry, but I would prefer to remain anonymous." He held up an hand as they began to object. His inner Essence flared inside him as he spoke, twisting reality in his favor. "I admit, I have personal reasons for this, but there is another important reason. You must understand, Zero is not an individual. Zero is an idea, a symbol for the oppressed to rally behind. Zero is nothing, and nobody. And yet, at the same time he is every person who wishes for a better world, every individual oppressed by Britannia. Zero is enigmatic and unknowable, defying all odds to bring about the impossible." Zero put an hand over his chest. "If I were to die, anyone could take my place if they have the will to never give up and fight against injustice." Not that it would even work, but they didn't know that. He turned to face Kallen. "What about you? If necessary, would you take my mantle to ensure that faith in Zero never dies? To ensure those fighting for a better tomorrow would never lose hope and continue to fight against the oppressors?"

"W-What? Me?" At first she was like a deer caught in the headlights before she schooled her features and nodded fiercely. "Of course I would!"

"Then you understand. In time I may show you my face, but for now I ask that you trust me as you did in Shinjuku."

They looked at each other for a while before Ohgi nodded resolutely and offered Zero his hand. "I can't speak for those who aren't present, but I am sure that if you repeat your words to them they will accept you. As we do."

The young Fiend took the hand and shook it. "If they are open-minded people like you, I am sure of it." He put one hand over his chest and tilted his head forward. "I am Zero. I look forward to work with you."

"Ohgi Kaname." The man with the afro replieed.

"Kozuki Kallen." She sighed. "But at school I go by Kallen Stadtfeld."

"Sugiyama Kento." The one with blue hair told Zero.

"Yoshida Toru." The one with brown hair and a red bandanna replied.

"Marvelous." He released Ohgi's hand. "However, there is one last thing I must make clear." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Under me, there will not be terrorism."

Zero continued before they could open their mouths. "War against Britannia isn't just a military campaign, it's a war of ideas. Britannia uses every instance of terrorism to fuel their propaganda machine, turning the public against the perpetrators. They use this to justify the oppression of the Numbers, claiming themselves to be more civilized and morally superior, dressing up their heinous actions in a veil of false righteousness." He spread one arm. "As such, those working under me must become a force for justice. We must not only win on the battlefield, but show that our cause is right. We will protect the innocent and punish the wicked, no matter their race. By doing so, we will expose Britannia for the vile den of sins it is and gather people to our cause."

He pointed at them. "This is not negotiable. I do not fight to only kill, but also to protect. I refuse to discriminate by race, because Japanese are not the only ones suffering under Britannia's rule. And, most importantly..." You raises one hand and clench it. "I refuse to lower myself to Britannia's standards!"

"Wow. You make a good point." Ohgi scratched his chin. "I don't know if it will work, but then I wanted to become a teacher, not a resistance member." He shrugged. "Look at me now."

"I think it would be great." Kallen spoke up with a smile. "This way we can really help people!"

 **"I swear, tell them they can fly and they will believe you."** Seyrun chuckled. **"Will they ever realize you're using them?"**

 _'Don't say that. I don't intend to go back on my promises.'_ Lelouch smiled. _'In exchange for services given, I'll make sure they obtain happiness.'_

After all, happiness takes many forms.

Hours later Lelouch walked inside the Ashford's compound, suit and mask safely locked inside a suitcase. By his side Milly was watching the video made by the camera he hid before the meeting. "Not bad, but it's a bit dusky. Why don't you make the suit light purple?"

"I thought about it, but then I remembered I plan to make the uniforms black. Wearing similar colors will increase camaraderie." He squinted your eyes at her. "And, really, your first question is about my suit?"

"Of course!" Her eyes sparkled. "I want a dress made of silk too!"

He could understand that. It felt very, very good on his skin. "That can be arranged. What about-"

 **"Boss! Lady Friend of the Boss!"** Both of them turned around, and saw one of the Anuhles calling to them from behind the bushes. Making sure no one was looking they reached it and crouched down, out of view.

"Nrihudub." Lelouch acknowledged his subordinate. "What happened?"

 **"Someone tried to sneak into your house Boss."** The youth tensed up. **"But we caught her."**

"Her? A female then." An assassin? After years of silence? "Where is she?"

 **"We bound and brought her to your room."**

"Good." He stood up. "Come with me Milly, I may need your help."

"Sure! A tied-up girl in your room? I'm not going to miss it!"

 _'Gods damn it Milly.'_

Together they sneaked around the campus until they reach the Lamperouge house. They entered, closed the door and then Lelouch rushed to his room, Milly hot on his heels. When he slammed open the door the sight that greeted his eyes was that of a human-sized cocoon of spider's silk hanging down from the ceiling, completely covering the captive save for the head.

Said head, which was watching him upside-down with an expression that was a mix of annoyed and murderous, was that of the green haired girl that got shot in the head right in front of Lelouch's eyes that day at Shinjuku. The same girl that was inside the capsule.

Only, she seemed to have got better. Because she was glaring. Even if a stripe of silk around the mouth prevented her from speaking. That the Anuhles were forming a protective circle between him and her also helped. Or maybe it was the fact that staying upside-down was not a comfortable position.

At least it explained where the corpse went.

{●}

 _01:00, Shinjuku_

The young woman panted as she pushed herself harder and harder, her legs burning from exhaustion and her breath labored. Yet she endured, holding tight the bundle in her arms.

"RAAAAAGH!"

For if she stopped, only death would await her.

Howling like a tortured beast a being who was once a man chased after her, restless in its pursuit. It had the appearance of a middle-aged man dressed in poor clothes, the front stained with blood and the holes left from an automatic firearm. Its skin was pale and sunken, and its eyes were glowing with an eerie gray light, fixed on the fleeing woman with hate...and hunger.

The woman kept running, but it was night and the streets were littered with rubble from the recent skirmish. Inevitably she stepped on one small rock, causing her to stumble and fall down with an yelp. The bundle came undone, and its contents of clocks and other house amenities scattered around.

The thing slowed down, gazing with nostalgia at the items before focusing back on the woman, hands stiffened into claws and jaws open, panting.

"No please! Please forgive me!" The woman pleaded, crying and crawling back. "I didn't want to disturb you...but I had no choice! Without things to sell I will not be able to feed my sons!"

The thing's answer was to howl and jump at the woman, teeth bare and hungry for life.

A flash of silver, and a knife buried itself into the thing's tongue, skewering through the lower jaw.

"Not so fast!"

Someone kicked the thing from the side, pushing it down on the ground. Still reeling from the pain it was powerless to stop the assailant from reaching to the knife, ripping it out and pushing it down again, slashing the thing's jugular open.

The woman stare widen-eyed at the one who saved her: a beautiful young woman with long, straight, platinum blond hair, wearing skimpy clothing consisting of high-heeled sandals, denim shorts, a tube top that exposes her abdomen and a blue jacket.

She swung the knife to get rid of the blood before putting it back in its sheath. "You shouldn't steal from the dead." She said without turning to face the other woman.

The thief winced in shame. But before she could defend her actions a stack of bills landed in front of her feet. "Use that instead. Now go, this place is dangerous."

"T-Thank you! Thank you so much!" The woman picked up the money and bowed before running away.

"Weelll." The blonde woman scratched her and looked down at the items and the corpse. "Should I give him a proper burial?"

"Just pour salt on the body and bury the items near it." A new voice said. Following it a black cat walked to the side of the woman and sit down. Tail twitching lazily it looked up at her with soulful green eyes. Then it spoke. "We don't have time to waste."

"Yes, yes. Whatever you say teacher." She replied with a roll of her eyes before she knelt down and began collecting the items. "What we are ever doing here in Japan?"

"Scouting of course." The cat simply said.

She stopped and turned around. "For what? This Shadowland is recent and the others are too small to be of any real threat. While the ones in Argentina are-"

"I know that very well." The cat interrupted sternly. It seemed to ponder for a few seconds before continuing. "However, many of the New Moon Elders seem to think something will soon happen here, in Japan."

"Something what?"

"Something important."

"Yeah? How very helpful." She snorted.

The cat glared at her, a silver-white disk glittering above its brows.

"Relax teacher. You know me, I will do my part. Or my name-" She winked and pointed at herself. "Is not Anja Silverclaws!"

* * *

 **Lexicon:**

 **Hungry Ghost** : the ghost of a person who died from violence and lost their sanity, becoming a beast hungering for the blood of the livings.

 **Shadowland** : an area of the world that exists at the same time in the Underworld, connecting the two worlds.


	5. Chapter 5

**Dislaimer:** I do not own Code Geass, which is propriety of Studio Sunrise, and neither do I own Exalted, which is property of White Wolf Publishing.

This fiction originally appeared as a quest-style story on the forum Sufficient Velocity. As such do not be confused by the strange structure.

* * *

 **Fiendish Advent - Act 5**

{●}

Lelouch had prepared many contingencies in case he needed to extract the truth from any enemy agent sent his way, but many of them relied on the target fearing death some way or another. So in the case of someone apparently able to come back to live, what did that leave him?

So instead he decided to think and talk with Seyrun first. "President, would you like to do the honors?" He looked at Milly while taking the stance of a bellboy inviting a guest to enter a party.

"Can I? Great! Zenész, fetch me my collection of animal ears!" Milly exclaimed excitedly. The look of confused horror on the green haired girl's face as she struggled to escape her silken cocoon was one Lelouch was all too familiar with, as was the look in Milly's eyes. "First Kallen, and now a second beautiful girl to dress up the next day! What a spectacular harem you're building for me, Lulu!"

The raven-haired youth resisted the urge to facepalm. Then he remembered he had skipped lunch in order to meet the terrorists. "Anyways Madam President, I imagine you'll whip up quite an appetite as you work. Shall I order takeout?"

"Splendid idea, minion most faithful! Hmmm... Chinese, KFC, or pizza?"

At the mention of pizza the captive's eyes lighted up excitedly, looking at Lelouch pleadingly. _'Well, she did take a bullet for me after all.'_ He thought. "Pizza it is, then."

After making an order he leaned against the wall and cross his arms over his chest, absentmindedly watching Milly as she ordered the spiders to set the captive upright and began taking her measurements. _'Seyrun. How is it that someone who should be dead is alive? Clones, plastic surgery, cyborgs - all those are plausible when dealing with the powerhouse that is Britannia. But from the magical side?'_

 **"True Resurrection is impossible, Boss. And so is going back in time. Those are deliberate rules set by the Primordials when Creation was made, because both of those practices carried a real possibility of fucking up reality really bad."** He replied. **"That say, there are some ways for a being to avoid crossing the thin line between life and death. Spirits like Gods and us Demons don't age but can be killed. However if we have a cult - a big enough group of humans offering us prayers constantly - we can reform a year and a day later. Prayers are chains that keep us into the material world. A Second or Third Circle Demon doesn't need a cult, since they are extensions of a greater being, but prayers make the return happen faster. Ghosts are ghosts: they may think otherwise, but they remain dead beings mimicking the living. They can reform too, but the right ritual sends them to Lethe without the chance of coming back, and Oblivion destroys them."**

 _'Understood. What about a person able to survive an injury that should kill her?'_

 **"I was getting to that point. Sorcery, mighty instrument it is, _can_ make someone immortal... but never in an unconditional, guaranteed fashion. There may be periodic rituals needed to renew said immortality, certain conditions under which one can die, a regional restriction one cannot travel outside of without risking his immortality and similar things. This is what the notes I was given say, but First Circle Demons like me don't use Sorcery. But I understand there is always a chink, a fatal flaw. You just need to find it."**

Lelouch was relieved to hear that: even with his vision of the world turned upside down, some things stood the same.

When his order arrived he went down to meet the pizza boy and pay him. As he walked back into the room with the pizza he saw Milly's Angyalkae holding out to her a collection of fake animal ears with prehensile hair, while the blonde was trying one after the other on the green-haired girl. The latter just ignored the blonde to concentrate on the boxes in Lelouch's hands.

"Just a moment dear." Milly said to the greenette, leaving a pair of fox's ears on her head. "The pepperoni is mine!"

"Sure." Lelouch took a slice of margherita and was about to bite into it when he noticed the captive is staring at the slice. He held it out. "Want some?"

She nodded furiously, almost pleading.

"Uhm, I don't see why not." He walked up to her and removed the stripe, letting his hand resting on her shoulder. "If you swear to honestly tell us why you tried to sneak into my house."

She took a deep breath and replied: "Yes, yes, whatever."

Lelouch could feel the words hanging between him and her, ghostly and thin as spiderwebs. He concentrated and pushed Essence into the words, feeling them grow thick and strong. His anima burned brightly as the oath becomes solid, two chains of burning charcoal power that ran from his body straight into the girl's soul.

"And now-" He smirked. "You better hold your part of the bargain. After all, there are worse things than death."

The girl held perfectly still, not even breathing, before groaning. "Blasted gods, you're an _Exalt?!"_

He raised an eyebrow. "You didn't know?" Then he held the slice of pizza closer to her mouth.

She scowled before taking a bite. She hummed in delight as she chewed before her expression turned neutral. "Until this morning I thought you were dead, boya. You see demons skittering around eating corpses, you don't generally think someone survived." She glared at the Anuhles, who click their fangs in response. Then she took another bite.

Lelouch hummed. "So why come here to Ashford? Did you recognize my uniform?"

"Y-!" She stopped. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before groaning again. "Do I really have to say the whole truth?"

"Yes."

"Blast. Then no, I didn't recognize the uniform. But after leaving Shinjuku I remembered that the Ashfords were Marianne's close friends. If there was a place where her children could have hidden, it was with them."

By the time she finished Lelouch already took out his gun and pressed it against her forehead. In response she just looked bored. "You may be able to resurrect yourself." He hissed. "But trust me, I have enough time and imagination to make your life very unpleasant. And if that doesn't suffice, there are always the torture devices of Malfeas." After a few seconds he removed the gun and put it back. "So it's in your best interest to tell me why you call my mother by her name, and how you knew me and my sister were alive."

"In order: I use her name because your mother and me were friends. I am older than I look and occasionally mingle with nobility." She droned. "I didn't know you were alive, but I recognized you: if you were alive, there was a big possibility your sister was alive too."

"Now, now Lulu. Calm down." Milly patted Lelouch's shoulder. Her lips were smiling, but her eyes were not. He stared back for a few seconds before relenting and back down. The blonde hummed, pleased, before turning to the green-haired girl. "We may have started off on the wrong foot, but I don't see why we can't be friends. I'm Milly! The grumpy one here is Lelouch. What's your name?"

"C.C."

Milly raised an eyebrow. "Just the initials? How odd."

C.C. shrugged. "That's what I go by those days."

"Mysterious. I like it!" She grinned. "So C.C., what do you say we take you out of that cocoon and we all have lunch together, like good friends?"

"What, no 'promise to behave, or else'?" C.C. asked bemusedly.

Lelouch grinned. "Why, do you think you can escape?" At his words the Anuhles stepped in front of the door and each windows.

Her bemusement faded. "Whatever. Just get me out of here fast: I don't want my pizza to get cold!"

"Perfect!" Milly raised a fist in the air. "But first..." She looked at C.C. from different angles. "Mmmh...yes, fox's ears are the best choice. Now for the final touch."

"What do you mean with fi-" C.C froze as Milly took out a felt-tip pen. "You're joking."

Milly was definitely not joking. But apparently C.C.'s love for pizza (or was it just hunger?) was great enough that, even while wearing a pair of fake fox's ears and with whiskers drawn on her cheeks, she just ignored everything else to concentrate on the food in front of her. Lelouch ordered eight pizzas: he and Milly ate one each, the greenette devoured the rest.

"Seconds." She even had the galls to demand more as if it was perfectly natural.

"No." Lelouch told her sternly. "Now finish your story. You are hunted by the military, so why did you come here?"

She stood silent for a second before grimacing and, reluctantly, answered. "Only a small portion of the military is after me. Hiding normally is enough." She fidgeted. "...And I thought Nunnally deserved to know what happened to her brother."

"As much as I appreciate the thought-" He deadpanned. "I hope you weren't going to tell my sister I was eaten by giant spiders."

She shot him an unamused look. "But then I saw you going to school this morning, so I changed my plans." She picked up an olive seed and chucked it at one Anuhle, chuckling as it growled back. "I wanted to ask you to hide me."

"For free?"

"Of course not. I was going to offer you power." She stared in displeasure at his forehead. "But that's useless now. Exaltations rejects the forming of a Geass."

"Geass? What's that?" Milly asked.

"The power I can bestow upon others. What it does depends on the person who receives it. Usually it is related to the mind, influencing such things as will, thought, memory and perception."

"No physical interference?"

C.C grimaced. "...It can happen. If someone is injected with my blood or my cells they can develop a Geass without a formal contract that can affect the outside world." She shook her head. "But they would die soon after, my Essence corrupting their bodies and shortening their lifespan. I don't do that."

"But you know it can happen."

She frowned. "I was told it's a possibility. And the scientists that held me captive tried it a few times. It wasn't pretty to see."

 _'Is she saying they did human experiments on her? It makes sense, the promise of immortality would make quick work of most moral restrains, especially in Britannia.'_ Lelouch tapped his fingers on the table. "Alright, change of topic. You know I am an Exalt. This mean you have prior experiences with them?"

"Most of them bad." She scoffed. "Does the term 'Sidereal' say anything to you?"

"The Chosen of the Five Maidens."

C.C. grinned. "Great, I don't need to explain."

"What is it your relation with them?"

She stood silent. Lelouch narrowed his eyes in irritation. "Fine. What other types of Exalt you know of, and do you have an affiliation with a specific group?"

"Lunars and Dragonblooded. Though one time a Lunar told me stories about the Golden Kings that once reigned over the world. Silly if you ask me." She crossed her arms above her chest. "I belong to no group. I am my own person and I do what I want. Why?"

"Weeell." Milly twirled her hair around one finger. "Me and Lelouch may or may not work for Hell, so..."

"I honestly couldn't care less." C.C. deadpanned. "It doesn't concern me."

"Alright." Lelouch raised a hand. "Next questions: which sections of the army are chasing you, and how aware are they about magic? Are any of them Dragonblooded? I presume Clovis is likely aware of you given his swift response to the capsule being stolen."

"A small unit backed by the Viceroy, it's called the 'Code R - Research Team' or something." C.C. shrugged. "They're mostly scientists, Clovis is too much of a coward to involve people he can't unless he can be sure they're absolutely loyal to him. Like his Royal Guard, but they're dead now." A sadistic smile graced her lips. "That's why I assume he is going to keep things as discrete as possible, but it will also limit his options."

That fit the profile of Lelouch's half-brother. Even as a teenager he was arrogant and prideful to those beneath him, but fearful and cautious of those above him. Human experiments aside, there were so many way for this news to ruin him if it was overheard by the wrong people.

"All the researchers were also thaumaturges. General Asprius, the head researcher, I think he's a God-blooded or something similar." She shrugged again. "The only Dragonblooded was Clovis."

"So Clovis _is_ an Exalt." Lelouch mused. "Do you know for certain? Because I think he may wears an artifact to conceal his nature."

C.C. blinked in faint surprise. "It could be. I've never seen his Anima flaring, but once he hit a guard during a temper tantrum and poisoned him. That's how I deduced he is a Wood Aspect."

 **"That's correct. Wood Dragonblooded can make themselves immune to plant-based poisons, but at the same time that power makes them toxic to others as well. Clovis must be wearing an Artifact that cloaks his Essence and his Anima, but doesn't stop the latter's effects."**

 _'Note to self: if it becomes necessary, kill Clovis from a distance.'_ "Do you know if there are other Exalts in the Royal Family, and who?"

"Everyone that have some kind of reputation I suppose. You Exalts can't help standing out." C.C. deadpanned. "I haven't been to court since Marianne's death, but I know with certainty Schneizel and Cornelia are Dragonblooded."

 _'But of course: the only two that pose a real threat, and they're Exalts.'_ He was also sure, with Cornelia at least, that they were making a subordinate of any other Dragonblooded they could sink their fangs into. "Only those two?"

"I wasn't interested, so I didn't look too deeply beyond listening to gossip...oh." She put a finger over her lips. "I think I recall Marianne commenting than a certain Marrybell showed great promise, and was likely to Exalt."

"Marrybell?" Now that's a name Lelouch hadn't heard in awhile. The Ninth Princess, he met her only once or twice and always at formal events. For what he remembered she was similar to Euphemia, which alone made her stand out. He also remembered reading a few years ago that her mother and sister died in a terrorist attack. Honestly, Lelouch knew too little to gauge her threat level, so he changed topic. "What of the Emperor?"

"I don't know." She shook her head. "He was the last person I looked forward to meeting."

Understandable.

"How many other Geass users are you aware of? Are there any in particular I need to watch out for, like members of the Royal Family? If so, what are their abilities?"

"Not many: I give my gift scarcely, and only to people that really need it. Haven't see any of them in a while." She closed her eyes. "I don't know if any member who isn't Exalted has a Geass, or what their abilities are."

She was lying. Part of it was just omission, but the rest was a full lie. Lelouch narrowed his eyes, debating forcing her to say the truth with an oath...

He clicked your tongue, and decided against it. She would likely refuse, plus with her immortality she may decide she could withstand any kind of misfortune that can befall her. If he wanted the truth, force was not the solution. Subtle manipulation was. "Do the powers granted by Geass work on Exalts, demons, spirits, gods, or any other magical creatures? Also, can non-human magical beings be given Geass, or only non-Exalt humans?"

"It works on them all. But it can be resisted by special powers that protect against other mind tempering effects. Only non-Exalt humans can be given a Geass. I don't know if God-blooded and other half-breeds qualify."

"Do you have any powers other than granting Geasses, and do they work on Exalts, demons, and other magical beings?"

"Now, now _Lulu_." C.C. replieed with a mocking tone. "Leave a girl some of her secrets."

 _'How do I hate that nickname.'_ "Fine. Does anyone other you her have the power to grant Geass? If so, how many others are there and who are they?

"There are eight of us." She looked away with an huff. "I only met two other immortals like myself, and they're both assholes. Damn midget..."

"Interesting. Can someone who has a Geass Exalt? If so, do they lose their Geass? Also, what happens if you try to give Geass to an Exalt aside from it just not working?"

"Someone with a Geass can Exalt, but they would lose their Geass." She explained. "Trying to give Geass to an Exalt doesn't work. That's all. The Exaltation interferes on the soul's level, I know no way to bypass that."

"You said you are my mother's friend. Do you know, or at least suspect, who arranged her assassination? If so, who, and what are their likely motives?"

"Anyone with a grudge against her boya." She deadpanned. "Marianne was the type of person that made friends as easily as enemies." She shook her head. "I was in Europe at the time, and learned about her death only later. Sorry."

Lelouch clicked his tongue. "Do you personally know the Ashfords, Ruben specifically?

Milly perked up at that.

"I met Ruben Ashford at one of his parties. We greeted each other. That's all. He was Marianne's friend, not mine." C.C. replied.

"I suppose that's all." Lelouch declared. "I don't doubt you're keeping secrets, but as long as they're not a danger for us it's not a problem."

"They're not, I can tell you that much."

"Good to hear that. Now, I suppose you still want help to hide from the military." He locked his fingers together. "And since you saved my life, I am willing to show you my gratitude."

"Then-"

"Provided you join my Anti-Britannia organization."

"...What?" C.C. gaped, eyes half-closed.

Lelouch grinned. "Those who don't work don't eat."

She glared at you. "And if I say no?"

He shrugged. "Then the most I can do for you is to pay smugglers to take you out of the country. By sea, because the airports will be controlled. Are you amenable to the idea of spending a couple of weeks hidden inside a five meters by five container eating only canned food?"

She looked at him like he just shot her dog. "You devil."

"That's a yes?"

"Yes! Dammit, yes!" The greenette threw her arms in the air. "I swear, of all the traits you have to inherit from Marianne!"

"Thanks for the compliment." Strangely, Lelouch meant it. "Milly, meet your new minion."

"Yatta!" The blonde hugged C.C, her right hand on the greenette's breast. "Zenész, fetch me the rest of the fox's costume. And don't forget the tail!"

 **"Shouldn't you enforce the agreement with your powers?"** Seyrun asked while C.C. judo-threw Milly across the room. **"She looks shifty to me."**

 _'She wouldn't have agreed to it. But I don't think that, besides her apparent immortality, she isn't very strong. An Anuhle to keeps an eye on her will suffice.'_

Just as he thought that an Anuhle opened the door. **"Boss! There is a Messenger from the City!"**

"Truly? Bring them in."

What entered was a new type of demon, a man-sized salamander swathed in oily black plumage with enormous vermilion eyes, holding in its claws a scroll. **"Salutations. Are you Prince Lelouch and Princess Milly?"**

Lelouch nodded, and the demon handed him the scroll. He opened it to behold... hieroglyphs?

 **"That's Old Realm. Don't worry Boss I will teach you later. Let's see...Once, there was a maiden-blablabla...As I thought, they're calling you to Malfeas. Three days from now we need to meet with the cultists, who will have prepared a portal to the Endless Desert. Once there we will meet our escort to the City. There will be a parade, which will end at the Conventicle Malfeasant. That's, ah, the gathering for Infernals. And-oh."**

 _'Oh?'_

 **"It's firmed by Ligier."** Seyrun said flatly. **"Boss, you really, really don't want to miss this."**

 _'Relax, I was waiting for this.'_ Lelouch nodded again at the salamander. "Understood. We will be there at the appointed time."

 **"I hear and obey."** The demon bowed before dematerializing.

"Milly. Our bosses want to meet us. We need at least two weeks off school."

"That's-uhn!-easy!" She replied while wrestling with C.C. "I will make up some excuses with grandfather."

"Alright!" He clapped his hands to get both of the two wrestling girls' attention. "C.C., I can't introduce you yet to the members of my organization because they wouldn't trust you as a foreigner. So until I have earned enough of their loyalty you can stay here in my house. You don't have to do anything...of course, keeping Nunnally company while I am in Malfeas would net you positive points."

"What I am, a babysitter?" C.C. rolled her eyes before pushing away Milly and leaning down on Lelouch's bed. "Fine. But I want your credit card."

"I am going to keep track of all transactions." He declared firmly.

"If that's how you amuse yourself." She deadpanned. What a Witch.

"Your cover story is that you knew Marianne - student, daughter of friends, whatever works - and are currently in hiding much like we are for your own reasons. Do no talk with the members of the Student Council, but if you end up being found by one of them just say you're a friend of Milly." Lelouch smirked at her. "Or her pet fox. Whatever amuses yourself more."

She squinted her eyes at him, as if to say: 'this isn't over'.

"You know." Milly mused, sitting next to C.C. "We could enroll you in the school!"

"One full of teenagers? Eeew." The greenette made a disgusted face. "Spare me the melodrama."

"I agree with C.C. here. That would expose her too much." He looked at his watch and sighed. "It's already late. Milly, procure C.C. clothes that don't scream 'runaway'. In the meantime I will explain the cover story to Sayoko and Nunnally. Oh, and learn Old Realm: we will need it."

"Okay Lelouch! Follow me minion most faithful number two!" Dragging a reluctant C.C. Milly left in tandem with her demon.

"..." lelouch grabbed the door's pommel and closed it. "Raimobon. Cuabuhm."

The two Anuhles skittered to attention.

"While I am away, if C.C. tries to even hurt a single hair on Nunnally's head you are to kill her, cut her into many pieces, and then bury each one in different parts of the city."

 **"Will do Boss!"**

He didn't think C.C. would really do it, but he wasn't going to risk Nunnally's safety.

While C.C. was with Milly Lelouch met with his sister and explained the situation, a task made more difficult by the fact he couldn't bring himself to directly lie, but he somehow managed. Strangely Nunnally easily accepted the story he prepared, though for some strange reason she also asked if C.C. was Lelouch's girlfriend, which he denied vigorously, and made a comment about Shirley being sad.

What the energetic orangette had anything to do with it, he had no idea.

Explaining why he needed to leave for _two weeks_ and maybe more was totally more complicated though. Luckily at that moment Milly came back with a better clothed C.C. and, after presenting the greenette, together they spinned a vague tale about needing to prepare for when him and Nunnally would graduate from Ashford and would therefore need to find an occupation in society without risking their secret identity.

It was painfully obvious the biggest reason for her objecting was the thought the two siblings would be separated for so long, but it was necessary: for Lelouch the alternative was bringing Nunnally to Malfeas, and there were so many reasons against _that_ option he didn't even bother counting them.

"Do you really have to go Big Brother?"

"I do." He squeezed her hand just a little. "We can't be students forever."

"No, I suppose we can't." She hummed, playing with lelouch's fingers like the first times after the incident where she lost her sight. "I thought about that. About career choices. I think I would like to become a teacher. Do you think it's possible, Big Brother?"

"That's a wonderful dream Nunnally." He smiled. "You should pursue it. And if things become difficult I will help you in any way I can."

Anything to see her smile.

{●}

"Sayoko? Can I talk with you for a second?"

"Of course, My Lord." She bowed. "What do you need?"

"It's about the other day." Lelouch began without preambles. "Why did you think I was wearing a mask?"

"My Lord, I was just making sure you weren't an impostor trying to take Master Lelouch's place." Sayoko replied as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

 **"Yeah. My spinneret it is."** Seyrun grumbled. **"That's the first thing that a trained bodyguard thinks, not a maidservant. Boss, I said and repeat it: this one isn't what she appears to be. She's trained."**

Sayoko was...on second thought, how much did Lelouch really know about her? Previously she was under the service of Ruben before she assigned her to the Lamperouge siblings, and since then became so much like family him and Nunnally shared the truth about their origins, and she accepted it with a smile.

"Sayoko." He said, catching her attention. "You don't need to answer me if you don't want to, but I would like to know: before becoming a maid for the Ashford, what did you do?"

"...Ara, it has finally come to this?" She sighed in resignation, resting her cheek on one hand, before straightening up and bowing again. "I didn't wish to keep this hidden Lord Lelouch, I just thought it was not appropriate to touch on. The answer is that I became a maid only after the war. Before that, I was the Head of the Shinozaki School of ninjutsu and martial arts."

 **"Called it!"** Seyrun exclaimed in triumph.

"Shinozaki School of ninjutsu and martial arts?" Lelouch repeated, not quite sure what to make of it.

"I was a ninja." She clarified while smiling.

"A ninja."

"Yes." So fast he almost couldn't see it she made a jab to the side, knuckles stopping just a millimeter before hitting a glass. The glass was unmarred, but the sponge inside it was tossed into the air and landed into the sink.

"...One moment." Leloch closed his eyes, pinched his nose's bridge and took a series of deep breaths. "Alright, so you're a warrior. A martial artists. A ninja, whatever they do in modern times. I...accept it, even if I don't know how that's supposed to work. That begets the question." He gestured at her dress. "Why...a maid?"

"That...is a long story." She began slowly, as if in the middle of a reminiscence. "I am an orphan Lord Lelouch, I don't remember my birth parents. I grew up in an orphanage most of my life until one day I was accosted by my mentor, the 36th Successor of the Shinozaki School, who for reasons he never explained took me as his pupil. He trained me, teaching me everything I know, and then when he judged me ready he gave me the surname Shinozaki, the title of 37th Successor and a legal identity. After that he left, whistling merrily with his inseparable bamboo cane."

She chuckled. "He was an odd man, but I respected him as a father. His first lesson was 'Do whatever you feel is right: only you control your destiny'. The second was 'your skills are made to protect, not to harm'. That's why when Britannia invaded...instead of fighting, I found myself helping the people around me." She smiled sadly. "I guess I just find the smiles of others to be more important than fighting. I still do. After that I met Master Ruben Ashford during one of his organized relief efforts to help the victims of war: he didn't know about my past, but after seeing how good I was at taking care of others he offered me a job at the school he was building. I thought it was a respectable life, so I accepted. You know the rest."

 _'Wow. This...how the hell was I ignorant of this?'_

 **"What's important in a servant are skills and loyalty, not their past. Maybe th-"**

 _'Maybe, but it's still wrong because it's Sayoko!'_ Lelouch interrupted him. "I thank you for telling me this Sayoko. I am glad you decided to trust me and Nunnally, even after our former country did horrible things to Japan." He paused. "Do you despise Britannia?"

"No." At Lelouch's shocked look Sayoko elaborated. "It's more like I pity it. I look at their valued ideology of superiority, and all I see is just a twisted mechanism that breeds only hate and suffering: for others, and for themselves." She smiled. "That's why I am glad to have met you, My Lord, and Lady Nunnally. You are not only someone I greatly respect, but also wish to serve because you are worthy."

"...You want to know something Sayoko?" He said after regaining the control of his mental faculties. "I've heard many people talking so much about the concept of chivalry, but you are the first person I have met that I can honestly say embodies the best qualities of what chivalry should really be."

"You honor me with your words Lord Lelouch." She bowed again. He almost told her it wasn't necessary to be so formal, but he noticed the smile on her lips and decided to let it go for the day.

Maybe in the future she will be an useful asset. But at the moment, Lelouch was content with being among family.

{●}

"Black Knights?" Ohgi asked.

"Yes." Zero replied while inspecting one of the stored Sutherlands. "That will be the name of our organization."

"But, shouldn't we choose something more-"

"Japanese?" The masked teen interrupted him before jumping down from the cockpit and landing in front of Ohgi, marveling at how his Exalt body could do many things he thought impossible with his previous weak constitution. "That would be counterproductive. Ohgi, you may not see it now but one day this organization will be filled with more than just Japanese people. Every nation we'll free from the yoke of Britannia will become one more ally to our cause. If we don't prepare to become an international force from the beginning it would only bring future problems."

He pat the Japanese over his shoulder. "It's okay. I understand it may be a concept difficult to grasp, but I have faith that you and the rest have what it takes."

"Thanks. I also have faith in you Zero. I believe you know what you're doing." He smiled and nodded. "Still, why 'Black Knights'?"

"It's for the concept behind the figure." Zero explained. "The 'White Knight' is a stereotype of literature, the knight-errant who wander the land in search of adventures suiting his chivalric virtues: dueling strong opponents, slaying monsters, courting princesses. He gains great fame for them, but it's glory more centered around himself than the good he does, which often is limited and marginal. Plus he puts respect for the authorities above all else, such that when the two come into conflict he must either let evil go, or disgrace himself in the eyes of everyone to follow what his morals tell him."

"When you put it that way, it doesn't sound so great."

"Because it isn't." He shrugged. "There is certainly nothing wrong with personal glory, as someone without even a bit of selfishness cannot be called human." He raised an hand in the air. "However, for the sake of helping as many people as possible we must behave differently. The 'Black Knight' is the opposite of the White Knight: he is an outcast, working anonymously for a greater purpose and is known to go against authorities should his mission necessitate it." He pointed at Ohgi. "That's what we need to do: putting the wellbeing of others above ours. It may be thankless at times, but such is the price for the greater good. Do you understand my reasons now, Ohgi?"

"V-Vaguely." Ohgi stammered before chuckling. "Zero, you speak like one of my old school's professors. Do you have a doctorate or something?"

"Nothing official." He replied offhandedly. "You can say I have an...appreciation for the classics."

"And the symbol?"

"Just something catchy and easy to replicate." Actually it was C.C.' suggestion. And by suggestion Lelouch meant she scribbled it, rolled the paper into a ball and tossed it at his head from behind. Repeatedly.

"Zero! This uniform is amazing!" An excited exclamation caught their attention. They turned around just in time to see Kallen running towards them, a big grin on her face, wearing the uniform Zero had made for her. "It's so soft, and yet I can't even stretch it! What is it made of?"

"A special material that's similar to silk." More specifically, magic silk from demonic spiders. "But much stronger and also bulletproof. My costume is the same. While I wish to equip all of you with them, making them requires a lot of time and resources." Zero snapped your fingers. "That's one of the reasons for my soon-to-be absence."

"You're going to meet possible backers, right?"

"Yes. They're people who already helped me in the past and can do so again now. But I need to meet them directly, and that requires I leave the country." And the whole dimension. "That's why I have prepared something for all of you. Follow me."

He lead Ohgi and Kallen to a table, under which he left two heavy briefcases. Zero picked up one and put it on the table before opening it. His followers gasped at the sight of the many stacks of bills within. "This is part of my personal resources. I'll entrust it to you. In my absence you will need to work on our logistics: food, medicines, clothing, etc."

"And weapons?" Kallen questioned.

"That, as I am sure you know, is harder to get." He closed the briefcase and bended to take the other. "My backers can help me with it. Beyond that, I want to have a firm base covering and supporting us because, once we start making waves on the public scene, we can't stop." He put the second case on the table. "Also they're not only for us, but also for the local populace. We will need new recruits, both soldiers and support personnel, so working to earn the goodwill of people will be fundamental."

"I see. So what's inside the other case?"

Zero opened it, revealing various books on war, strategy, and tactics. "You, Ohgi, are the second in command. Kallen, you're our best Knightmare pilot. You two and anyone else who might be a good officer will study those books. It's not only necessary knowledge to lead men in battle, but within them are described the tactics and strategies of Britannia. You will learn how our enemy thinks, and in doing so learn how to best counter them."

He produced a list and handed it to Ohgi. "For this purpose I compiled a list of jobs and those suited for them, based your performances during Shinjuku and other general impressions."

"Cool." Ohgi began, before he raised one eyebrow in confusion. "Why is Tamaki not on the list?"

 _'Oh yes, the redhead buffoon.'_ "Is that a problem?"

"He's one of the senior members, and an old friend."

Lelouch resisted the urge to facepalm. "I see. Then, what would you put him in charge of?"

"Uhm...finances?"

 _'Oh hell no.'_ "The cafeteria is better."

"The cafe-"

"Food is important." Lelouch interrupted him. "Without food a human being dies in five days. If we have money but no food, what will you eat? Bills?"

"Uh..."

"I'm glad we agree on the same point."

{●}

 _'Seyrun, what goods from Earth - I mean Creation are sought-after in Malfeas?'_ Lelouch suddenly asked his mental advisor while at school.

 **"Why do you ask Boss?"**

 _'If there is really a cult, and they respect me, one possible source of income might be to expand the cult's business with Malfeas. I could even invest some of my own money. I am sure genuine magical goods that don't exist here would be useful some way or another.'_

 **"Ambitious. Well, trading is not my field, so I can't offer advice. But by Yozi's decree all cults must support the Green Sun Princes, so you can just request their collaboration. Before that check who's the Cult Patron: if it's a Second Circle or higher, it may be best to work on an agreement where you both benefit from it. And for goods, the most sought after ones are seashells that hold the laughter of a mortal child. With it you can make amulets that repel _s_ Adorjan. Other commodities includes moleskins, feathers from albino peacocks, tears of pity, the dropped teeth of children, lost coins, the blood of a maiden's deflowering and the likes. Even if a demon cannot use these goods he can trade them to other demons."**

He stopped and rested his forehead against the wall, resisting the urge to groan. _'The blood of a maiden's deflowering?'_

 **"I don't decide those things. Buuut, if you want to set up an organization of assassins instead I can help you a lot more. Everyone need a dagger in the dark, and if you have more than one even better!"**

 _'I...will think about it.'_ He sighed before resuming his walk.

 _*flash*_

 **"Uh? Did you hear that?"**

 _'Hear what?'_

 **"...No, nevermind."**

 _'Whatever.'_

Lelouch then saw a wallet on the ground. There was no one else around, so it must be a lost item. You bended down to pick it up.

 _*flash* *giggle~*_

He stood up and whipped his head around. _'What was that?'_

 **"I knew it was something strange!"**

Lelouch searched around the area, but even with Seyrun's inhuman senses added to his own he found nothing out of the ordinary. He even interrogated his Anuhle guards, but they didn't see anyone doing something out of the ordinary. Even the wallet was empty. In the end he just decided it was a coincidence and moved on, since he had an appointment and didn't want to miss it.

More exactly, he couldn't miss it because those maniacs would probably hunt him down through the whole school.

Entering the Survival Club building he opened the drawer with his name and retrieved his personal weapon, a Beretta M92F. Checking if it was in good conditions he removed the old cartridge and inserted a new one.

 **"Now."**

Then with one fluid movement he bended his arm backward above his shoulder and pointed the airsoft gun behind him. "Not today Miss Glass."

The violet-haired girl laughed in genuine amusement, her two Desert Eagles still pointed at Lelouch's back. "Marvelous Lelouch! I knew you belong here! That you kept coming back is proof of that!"

Only because this was the only place where he could train his firearm skills hard enough to qualify for actual training. "Survival Games have their own appeal, I suppose." He said instead, turning around as both of them put back their guns. "You do realize this is the last day?"

"Not if I can help it!" She shamelessly declared.

"Yes, yes." Lelouch rolled his eyes. The usual banter done, he went to prepare the other members' weapons and equipment, so that they could change faster. It was during said task that he made a horrifying discovery. "Miss Glass?"

"Yes?"

Lelouch showed her one gun, an image of him printed on the grip. "What...is this?"

"A Glock 26C. The semi-auto Glock 26 is a real firearm, while the 26C is a full auto, airsoft exclusive va-"

"That's not what I mean!" He pointed to the grip, eyebrow twitching. "Why there is a photo of me there?"

"Oh, that?" She said dismissively. "The girls from your Fan Club asked for permission to customize their weapons. It wasn't a big deal so I authorized it."

A pin could be heard dropping in the ensuing silence. "I don't have a Fan Club." Lelouch finally said, more to convince himself than her.

"No, you do." She replied with a smirk, taking out her phone and fiddling with it. "It started gaining popularity in the last week, but already it has a large number of followers. They even have an official web page. Oh look, there is new content available!"

She showed him the screen. On it there were numerous shots of the raven-haired youth taken from different angles and at different times.

The last chronological one was taken from behind, the maker having zoomed almost obsessively on Lelouch's butt while he bended down to pick up something.

Breath. In out. In out. In out.

He smiled beatifically. "Is that so? Why, I'm honored!"

 _'Notes so self. First thing to do once school is over: resume my old hacker lessons. Second thing to do: nuke the hell out of this abomination against nature!'_

{●}

The day finally came. With everything he needed for a five days trip through an otherworldly desert in another realm of existence prepared Lelouch kissed Nunnally goodbye and took the train to a small town outside the Tokyo Settlement. Milly, who had taken the previous train, was waiting for him at the station and together they reached the cultists' supposed 'hideout'. Milly was wearing a white and purple dress, while Lelouch had his Zero costume under the shadow illusion, which he dropped before entering.

Now, Lelouch was ready to admit his mental image of a 'cult' was shaped by stereotypes.

"My Brothers and Sisters! Our fervent prayers _have_ been heard! Not one, but _two_ Chosen of our Gods have magnanimously allowed us to bask in their holy presence!"

It appeared those stereotypes were correct. What greeted the two youths was a congregation of chanting cultists all wearing matching brass, green, and black colored robes. They were an even mix of Japanese and Britannians, mostly adults with some kids. Any other time the sight of people freely mingling together without any sort of racial hatred would have made Lelouch happy.

It still did. He was just a little crept out by the whole 'worshiping' thing. Thankfully he didn't see much fanaticism in their eyes. There was a stage hastily put together, and the walls were decorated with curtains matching the cultists' robes. The building was clean and showed signs of being used. All in all it was less clandestine meeting and more festival for an important holiday.

Milly just took to it like a fish takes to water. "Oyah everyone! Missed me?" She greeted them cheerfully, to which they responded with loud cheering. "I brought a new friend today! Zenész, please play some music."

The Angyalka appeared and began to play a cheerful music. Meanwhile Milly lead lelouch to the stage. "That's your moment Lulu." She whispered to him before stepping to his side, leaving the front stage all to the young Fiend.

What seemed to be the leader stepped forward and dropped on one knee, the others soon following suit. "Please Green Sun Prince, tell us by what name we may call you so that we may properly celebrate your magnificence."

 **"That's your cue Boss. Cultists love dramatic and flamboyant shit. Just say some important-sounding words and you will have them eating from your hand."**

 _'I hope not. I like my subordinates to have more backbone than that. But before that, suggest me appropriate ways to refer to an Yozi. I'm new at this!'_

 **"Will do Boss!"**

With Seyrun's help Lelouch began: "I am Zero, Green Sun Prince and Chosen of..." He dramatically extended his right arm, flaring his cape "Oramus, The Dragon From Beyond The World!"

Several members of the cult gasped in shock at his proclamation, others simply staring with wide eyes and mouths agape. "Yes, blessed Oramus, he who sees both That Which Is and That Which Is Not, has chosen to aid the Reclamation by declaring me his champion. In his wisdom the Ouroboros Border of Reality has given me a task of vast importance, which will become evident to all soon enough. The corrupt and oppressive rulers of Britannia will suffer for the sins they have committed, and you all shall be remembered and greatly rewarded for your steadfast loyalty and work, when the True Rulers of the world return!"

Lelouch raised his fist, and the crowd cheered. Chants of "Zero!" and "Oramus!" were a constant. He gestured for silence, and they quickly calmed themselves, though the fire in their eyes was still present. Very good.

The leader raised both of his hands towards Zero. "What joyful news you bring, oh Chosen! Please, allow us to thanks yours and your Master's names in our prayers, together with Chosen Milly and the True Gods."

 _'Should I? By that matter, do prayers really work?'_

 **"Of course Boss! The prayers of humans and other mortal beings generate Essence, which fuel the venerated being. Only Yozi, the Unquestionables and the gods hear the prayers, all the others just receive the extra juice. Now, true devotion is not really required...but being properly respectful is. It's an unspoken rule that prayers should be of gratitude and praising, and only when one really needs it about requesting a boon or help of some kind. It is extremely disrespectful and borderline blasphemy to disturb the Yozi for matters that aren't of the proper importance."**

Uhm, so it was a supernatural method of communication with some benefits for the being being prayed at? He could get behind that. He also understood the last part of Seyrun's explanation: if every matter could be resolved by praying, everyone would grow lazy and indolent. Even in Lelouch's eyes the world-gods that create reality must be approached with the proper gravitas. _'I have an idea. Help me compose an appropriate prayer to Oramus.'_

 **"Okay Boss. Uhm, in those cases we should make an offering, but lacking that let's hope your role as Oramus' champion is enough. Be sure to recite it in Old Realm."**

"You can." Zero eventually replied, nodding. "But at this moment we must first give thanks to my master. Mighty Oramus does not ask for temples or shrines to be built in his image, for it is his desire to maintain only his one unique temple within Malfeas. However he does appreciate prayers, as all his brethren. I will pray to give him our thanks, and to continue watching over us. Join me." He knelt, the others and even Milly soon following, and began to pray.

As he recited the test provided by Seyrun Lelouch's Anima flared up, slowly rising to a great bonfire that bathed the room in iridescent emerald, tendrils of purple, black and rainbow orbiting around his figure. At that the cultists' prayers grew even more fervently. At the end of the prayer they raised their heads and gasped at something behind Lelouch. Turning around he saw colored fluids seeping from the cracks into the wall, quickly forming a seven pointed kaleidoscopic star.

 **"It worked! It worked!"** Seyrun cheered.

"My Brothers and Sisters!" The cult leader's voice raised of several octanes. "Our Gods _answered_! Mighty Oramus has shown that Prince Zero is indeed his will made manifest! Blessed is he!"

"Blessed is he!"  
"Blessed is he!"  
"Blessed is he!"

Lelouch's lips stretched into a smile. _'I could get used to this.'_

After the whole spectacle ended the meeting quickly devolved into a party. There was punch and food, and music blaring out of a portable radio. Lelouch wasn't a fan of progressive rock, but by Seyrun's happy humming the demon found it enjoyable.

And of course Milly was the soul of the party, rallying everyone behind her. In the meantime Lelouch had a private meeting with the cult leader, one Shichirobei Noritoshi, and the spokesperson to the authorities for the Britannians, a woman by the name of Sarah White.

"How can we help you, oh Chosen?" They both asked after bowing.

"Business, I'm afraid." Lelouch began. "As a start, how do you go about using the abilities of the demons you summon?"

"Well lots of ways, but I guess the main thing is we've been gathering blackmail material on a number of minor nobles." Noritoshi explained. "They're pretty corrupt, and quite eager to pay once they know we're aware of the skeletons in their closet. Sarah helps with that, because they know the police will listen to her."

He nodded. It was one of the things he had considered doing himself.

"Cowards, the lot of them. All the better for us, yes." A new voice spoke up. Lelouch looked around, but spotted no one.

"One moment please." The leader brought Lelouch to a large mirror fixed on the wall. Once the young Fiend looked into it he saw reflected a network of throbbing red veins in the shape of an eel floating above the man's shoulders. "This is Xibhi. He is the first demon I met, and who opened my eyes to the truth."

 **"Ah, a Passion Moray."** Seyrun supplied. **"They're transparent, but can be partially seen on reflective surfaces. They feed on passionate memories, and make efor xcellent blackmail material collectors because of that."**

"Glory to the Peer, glory eternal." The demon continued in its odd speech and bowed.

"I see. What you are doing is good, but you can expand on that to make even more profitable. The right information is worth a lot to the right people. Rather than doing the blackmail yourself, you could just as easily sell the information and evidence to their political rivals for more than that. You can even play both sides, pitting rival gangs or political factions against one another, having them escalate and destroy one another for you. Giving partial information to lead people to false conclusions also works - just look at how Prince Clovis went after the Purebloods."

The cult leader blinked. "That was you?"

Lelouch grinned behind his mask. This was never going to get old. "Just doing my duty. So, what are the cult's current activities and abilities?" **  
**

"Most of our efforts are directed to make sure all of our members and their families have access to proper living conditions and services." Noritoshi explained. "The extra money is nice, but we can't rely on blackmail forever. We help people find homes, get proper jobs and for the young to receive a proper education."

"We're also working towards improving the city." Sarah continued. "This is going a bit slowly because we don't want to rouse suspicion from the central authorities. Beyond that we of course keep up the recruitment of new members. We summon demons who can help with the task at hand with their special skills."

"What goods do you currently export and import to and from Malfeas? Are there any other goods you wish to trade in, but can't get access to on either side for whatever reasons?" **  
**

"Surprisingly in Malfeas most items we humans consider common are very sought after." Noritoshi smiled. "Things like water and products of animal origins. Others are more exoteric like dropped teeth of children. Our patron especially like for us to trade cloths of various origins. However, there is also an high demand for Sakuradite: apparently it's semi-magical and many demons want it, but it is sadly almost impossible for us to obtain."

 _'Is he telling the truth?'_

 **"Yes. My notes says Sakuradite is a pseudo-magical material that came in existence because of the changed geomancy of Creation. Demon artificers greatly request it for study and crafting."**

"Luckily, I can help with that." Zero replied, thinking of using the battery packs for Knightmare Frames. "Who is your patron? I would like to meet with them while in Malfeas, in order to help you better."

"Peer Zero! We pay respect and gratitude to Suave Berengiere!" Both Noritoshi and Sarah clapped their hands in reverence.

In the mirror Xibhi bobbed its head up and down. "Beautiful more than the stars, Mistress Berengiere is! Peerless artist, kind Mistress!"

 **"Well that's surprising. Berengiere is the Weaver of Voices, soul of Ligier and Second Circle Demon. She makes cloths out of passion-filled voices, but don't ask what is under the veil that hide her face. Negotiations shouldn't be too difficult."**

"Our patron has been very helpful with creating the cult proper, and the only thing she asks in return is for us to summon her often and help find passionate voices so she can practice her craft."

 **"Yeah, I heard she was given the duty to guard an important place, but it bores her so she escapes whenever she can."**

Curious, but Lelouch has since learned that all demons have their quirks. Not that he cared beyond what could be useful for him. "In that case Xibhi, I want you to bring a message to your Mistress, to request a meeting."

"Xibhi will! Xibhi will!" The demon whirled around happily.

Noritoshi provided the tools, and with the help of Seyrun and Xibhi Lelouch compiled a letter to send. It was quite wordy and full of niceties, but the raven-haired youth had plenty of experience from his time as a Britannian prince so such things came easily for him.

* * *

 **Lelouch Vi Britannia's Traits:**

 **Merits:**

 **Mantle of Kings:** You are greatly talented in all tasks associated with leadership, from commanding troops to recruit them.

 **Silver Tongue:** You are greatly talented at deliberate deception.

 **Tactical Instincts:** You can understand the flow of battle during war or when playing Chess and react accordingly.

 **Traits from Unwoven Coadjutor:** There is a green sheen to your black hair that is only visible under a dim light or in the darkness, and your eyes' color appears more red than purple when it's dark.

 **Flaws:**

 **Dangerous Secret:** You and your sister are Royals and believed dead. It must stay that way.

 **Enemy:** The nobles who were against your mother's position and commoner blood.

 **Obsession:** Nunnally. You react positively to anything related to her, even if it isn't in your best interest.

 **Vengeance:** Your mother's death. All of your long term plans include revenge one way or another, even if it may bring you or your friends into danger. This can rear it's head as you see opportunities to pursue it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Dislaimer:** I do not own Code Geass, which is propriety of Studio Sunrise, and neither do I own Exalted, which is property of White Wolf Publishing.

This fiction originally appeared as a quest-style story on the forum Sufficient Velocity. As such do not be confused by the strange structure.

* * *

 **Fiendish Advent - Act 6**

{●}

How to describe stepping into the portal? There was a sense of... _freedom_ , as if discarding a comfortable dress to remain naked, the temperature just right to the skin.

Lelouch breathed in. The air was clear and crisp, free of smells and particles.

He opened his eyes to a blank black sky, a breathtaking desert of silver sand stretching for what he _knew_ was forever.

That was Cecelyne. A place. A Goddess. A World. A Primeval Reality.

"Woah..." Even Milly was without words, taking in the scenario with wide eyes.

 **"And here we are. Home, bittersweet home. Well not quite, but close. Creation is great but I missed the familiar sights. Oh: look, our escorts is there."**

Advancing towards Lelouch and Milly's position was a contingent of demons. Many were armed and formed serrated ranks on both sides. Between them were two palanquins carried by hulking red apes, while behind them were two strange crosses between a spider and an horse. Flying above them were two great, beautiful wasp-like beings.

When in reach they stopped and bowed deeply, the flying ones landing before doing so. Lelouch had to praise their discipline, which wouldn't look out of place at Pendragon...except for the whole 'non-human' thing.

After he acknowledged them with a nod of his head they stood up, and an hunchbacked demon with the head of a praying mantis and wearing simple yellow clothes approached the two Infernals. **"Ugh, a Naneke. I hate those guys."** Seyrun complained

 _'Why?'_

 **"They never shut up. Never."**

"Welcome great Green Sun Prince, great Green Sun Princess. Peers of the City. Chosen of Hell. Welcome." The Naneke clapped his hands together and bowed deeply. "May I ask for your names?"

"My name is Milly! Nice to meet you."

"I am Zero."

"Peer Milly, Peer Zero: my name is Lemmun, and I am here to answer any questions you will ask of me. Now please hurry and come." The demon gestured to the escort. "For the Unquestionables desire your presence, and we must make them wait not."

He pointed to the palanquins. "The palanquins are at your service, provided with every comfort."

Next he pointed to the spider-horse hybrids. "You may also choose the Peghedu, their movements so smooth it's like you're not moving at all."

Finally he pointed to the wasp-like beings. "Or, if it so please you, the Agatae are ready to bring you whenever you wish on their wings."

Milly was already running by the time Lemmun started speaking, hugging an Agata before riding it. The demon responded with an happy bell-like cry and rose in the air.

With a light chuckle Lelouch removed the mask and tossed it to one of the Anuhle to keep before walking to the remaining Agata. The demon bent down respectfully, allowing him to easily mount it. "Fly steady, I need to concentrate."

"Yes master." It intoned before raising in the air.

With that, the travel began.

The landscape, while beautiful, couldn't be said to change much. There were dunes here and there, but after a while they all blurred together. Seyrun told Lelouch it was better that way, for truly dangerous phenomenon were hidden in the desolation of Cecelyne, and a travel where nothing happen was the best blessing that can be given.

So, when not conversing with Milly, Lelouch spent his time questioning Lemmun, much to Seyrun's annoyance. Indeed the Naneke proved himself to be able to talk for hours without even breathing, but listening was an art the young Fiend had mastered long ago. From Lemmun he learned of the history of Creation as remembered by demons, of the rise and fall of the Solar Exalts; of the Twin Cataclysms and the event called 'World-Change', when the world became a sphere and the firmament opened, revealing the Spiral, aka the Milky Way.

To think the home of humanity was once a flat surface amidst an infinite sea of chaotic energy. The things one learn.

 **"Is that sarcasm?"**

 _'Yes. Yes it is.'_

The caravan stopped only for a few hours every day to allow Lelouch and Milly time to sleep, the passage of time calculated only by the screams of the Tomescu, a type of demon that apparently always cries at dawn and dusk. Seyrun explained that clocks don't work in Malfeas, for the demon realm exists outside the normal passage of time. Only the Tomescu are accurate.

When he didn't feel like sleeping, something his Exalted nature allowed him to ignore safely, Lelouch engaged in something normally unfamiliar for him: meditation. It was, according to Seyrun, the most efficient way to study the core of Essence that dwell inside his body and develop it, allowing him to draw forth new and stronger powers. Forcing his hyperactive mind to empty itself of all thoughts proved difficult but Lelouch persevered on, conscious that this could, and would, mean difference between victory and defeat, life and death in the future.

It was during the second day that he finally did it. Seated in the lotus position on the sand the raven-haired youth's sight turned inward, towards the core of burning potential nestled in his soul. The demons of the caravan watched in awe as his anima burned brightly with pure emerald and the Caste Mark blazed, the sand around the male Infernal turning into shards of obsidian and sphere of sardonyx.

{●}

In the beginning Lelouch mistook them for mountains.

Then as he grew closer and the light of a green sun peeked up from the horizon he realized that the gargantuan super-structures spreading as far as eyes can see were not mountains but buildings of black stone and basalt, some reaching so high the top couldn't be seen.

It was Malfeas, the Demon City. A place of impossible, sanity-defying proportions and nature, upon which shined an alien green sun both beautiful and terrible.

Lelouch Vi Britannia had never felt so small and insignificant before.

 **"And this is only one of the outmost layers."** Seyrun chuckled. **"Behold Malfeas! Our King! Our Kingdom! Our Prison!"** His voice grew heated. **"Look at the ignominy of form that the traitor gods inflicted on He who Was Infinite Power. Understand his rage at the betrayal, his pain. Understand his lesson."** He growled. **"Never forget, and never again."**

 _'...'_ Lelouch tilted his head. _'..Was that part of the given instructions?'_

 **"In part, but most is mine. Do you like it? I'm quite good at inspirational speeches."** The demon shamelessly replied.

 _'Sure.'_ The youth responded, mentally cataloging away the discovery of another quirks of his advisor.

The final thing to reach them was the music: foreign to human tastes, but so wonderful and full of so many different emotions Lelouch felt his heart swell and almost burst. He knew the music and the noise served as a ward against certain death from a crazy Yozi, and yet he was sure that even without that danger it would continue, because imagining the absence of such beauty was almost painful.

He looked to his side, and saw the same emotions on Milly's face.

Hell really wasn't all it's cracked up to be.

When they reached the point where desert meet city they were greeted by a crew of black-robed beings. Their hands and feet were darkened bone and their faces were flame the hue of Earth's clear autumn sky. Seyrun told Lelouch they were the priests of Cecelyne, who enforced her laws and administered worship. He suggested caution and utmost respect, for they were fair but ruthless in their duties.

As the other demons of the escort bowed and walked away one of the priests stepped forward and pointed a finger at Lelouch and Milly. "If you are Peers of Malfeas, show the sacred Marks."

A minimal exertion of Essence, and the mark of Ebon Dragon and Adorjan appears on the forehead of the two.

The priest nodded. Others began to observe the two youths by various angulations before nodding in apparent approval. They even offered Milly a white mantle to go with her dress.

"I have a question." Lelouch said while they followed the priests to another location, the Dark-Green Fangs and Milly's Angyalka following another path.

"If I can answer I will." The priest replied gravely.

"How long before we reach our destination?"

"Two cries of Tomescu."

Twelve hours. It was a definite improvement from Lelouch's early estimate of several days, considered the incredible size of Malfeas. The two Britannians were lead to a large carriage tied to large, sturdy beings similar to elephants. They stepped into it, and the parade began.

{●}

Lelouch saw many celebrations before, the ones back in Britannia the most sumptuous of all. But like the rest, Malfeas was just something else.

At their passage the city literally exploded with activity, ten of thousands of demons of all forms and appearances flowing into the streets to celebrate. They organized contests to see who could produce the more noise. They danced with reckless abandon. They drinked many mysterious drinks, the air carrying a thousand and one different smells to the nose. At some point even the buildings danced, revealing themselves to be another demon.

It was total, complete madness. It was so far common sense it went beyond alien.

Yet he loved every. Single. Moment of it.

Milly was a whirlpool of movements, dancing as she hurled bolts of prismatic lightning and bursts of gossamer ice in the air, a totemic harp of iridescent gemstone burning behind her.

Not one to be outdone Lelouch pushed his anima to the limits, the bonfire burning brightly around him.

Then he pushed past them and thrust his fist in the air.

Lelouch's anima swelled and exploded, his mantle consumed by the light as the twin intertwined dragons appeared behind him, spreading out their seven great wings made of unearthly kaleidoscopic light like the tail of a peacock. Space twisted around them as fragments of shining, fluctuating lights revealed brief vistas of alien stars as they resonated from the music, echoing back colors that could be heard and sounds that could be tasted. They gathered in a large tornado with Lelouch as the eye and shot upward, hitting everything and nothing at the same time.

The crowd grew even wilder.

{●}

Hidden by the chaos of the celebration different pairs of eyes, and other manners of perceiving reality, stared at the two newcomers not with reverence but with interest.

They plotted. They schemed. They all wanted different things, but all knew a single certain truth.

There were new players in the game.

{●}

Twelve hours later the carriage reached a city-sized stupa of verdigris-covered brass and basalt, surrounded by a wall of jagged, interlocking black stones. A torii framed the only doorway into the structure and a gigantic tower emerged from the center, collecting Ligier's green light at the top.

The Conventicle Malfeasant.

Once inside Lelouch allowed his utterly tired and exhausted body to slump down. "Cannot...move...anymore..." He rasped.

"Why...I...can...?" In a similar condition Milly wheezed out.

"Honorable Peers." Servant demons presented them glasses of vibrant green liquids. "To recover strength."

Any other day he would had reservations. That day he was too tired to care. Lelouch grabbed the glass and gulped it down.

It tasted like spicy water.

Instantly the young Fiend felt his reserves of Essence being refilled, if only partially, the familiar energy re-energizing his body. "Wow, it really worked." He looked at the glass. "What is this?"

 **"Chalcanth. It's demon essence or flesh dissolved into Vitriol."**

Lelouch froze.

 **"By the taste I would say...Metody, the elementals of Vitriol. No foreign memories, so it's the regular type, probably made from many identical demons each giving out a piece of themselves to brew."**

The raven-haired boy's cheeks puffed before he forced down the instinct to puke. _'This is absolutely, totally disgusting.'_

 **"Eh, cannibalism isn't really a big thing among demons. It's you humans who balk at it, but I heard it made you sick so you're justified."**

 _'Just shut up. Please.'_

After resting Lelouch and Milly were lead across the Conventicle. It was an immense structure larger in the inside than on the outside, the hollow dome easily able to hold a many small cities. The light of Ligier shined from above, allowing everyone to see clearly. Around the perimeter of the interior of the dome were 50 lavish palaces, one for each Green Sun Prince. After that was another ring of temples, gaming parlors, theaters, restaurants and other recreational structures.

In the very center was a large amphitheater of basalt and brass, many smaller buildings connected to it. They entered one, which turn out to be a reception hall. "This way please." The guide indicated a corridor. "The other Peers are waiting for you."

"You mean there are other Green Sun Princes here?" Lelouch asked.

"Yes. They arrived before you."

"Heard that Lulu?" Milly grabbed his hand and dragged him with her. "Let's meet the full band!"

He rolled his eyes before matching her pace. A few minutes later the two emerged in another room, with various couches positioned around a large table with numerous types of food and beverages on it. There was only one person there, a girl a few years younger than them dressed in a stylish white and red kimono, long and flowing black hair framing an youthful face and two...very familiar...green eyes...

 _'Hold on, isn't that-?'_

"Ara! It's the demon of the forest! Sashiburi, demon-san." The girl smiled happily, eyes light up with clear interest.

Yep, it was Kaguya Sumeragi.

 _'Fuck the gods.'_

 **"Fuck them!"**

"Oh, yes, hello." Lelouch replied, finding the whole setup oddly...awkward. "Nice to see you again."

"Lelouch, who is this? And what does she mean by 'demon of the forest'?" Milly asked in a sing-song voice, smiling the smile promising mischief and doom.

He waved her off. "She's someone I met when we were children. It's a silly story, can we just forget about it?"

"Why? It sounds interesting." A new voice announced.

Lelouch turned around, and saw three new people coming in his direction. The first was a tall woman of oriental origins with tanned skin and long blonde hair, a pipe in her hands. She was wearing a white doctor's coat over a red jacket and purple pants.

He blinked in honest surprise, having recognized her almost instantly. "Rakshata Chawla?"

"Oh? You know me?" Lelouch and her shook hands.

"Indeed. I read all of your articles about medical cybernetics." _'In the hope of finding a method to heal Nunnally's legs.'_

"Oh, that. Sadly the world is more interested in making weapons than investing in medicine." She put the pipe in her mouth, smiling with a touch of melancholy. "Something I hope to change."

"By making more weapons?" One of the other two said in a monotone, nonetheless managing to make it sound sarcastic. He was a young Japanese man around Lelouch's age, with blue eyes and long blue hair tied in a single braid. The young Fiend recognized the blue uniform belonging to the European Union, the grades on his arm making him a Second Lieutenant.

Behind him was a young woman that, honestly, looked like she wasn't sure she wanted to be here. She too was wearing an European Union uniform, her rank that of Major. She had very long light blonde hair that reached her waist, with two egg shaped buns held up with gold braces. Her purple eyes caught Lelouch's attention, for they hinted at Britannian nationality just like his own.

"By ending all conflicts as quickly as possible. I already told you so Akito." Rakshata replied back with the tone of a mother stating the obvious to a child.

"Yeah. Sure." He replied flatly before looking at Lelouch, Milly and Kaguya. "Second Lieutenant Akito Hyuga." He pointed behind him at the girl. "This is my superior Leila Malcal. She Exalted as a Dragonblooded a few days ago without any idea what was going on, so I brought her here."

"Lieutenant Hyuga! I am perfectly capable of giving my name out myself." Leila said sternly before looking to the side. "When you said we were going to Hell, I didn't think you were literal..."

"I know how you feel. Initially it was a shock for me too." Kaguya stepped forward and did a curtsey. "I am Kaguya Sumeragi, Head Mistress of the House of Sumeragi, one of the Six Kyoto Houses of Japan."

"Milly Ashford!" The blonde raised an hand. "I am just a Student Council President!"

After that all the eyes turned to Lelouch. _'Right, introductions. Uhm, Milly and Kaguya already know my identity as an ex-prince, and will probably keep it a secret. I don't know what kind of person Rakshata is beyond her scientific genius, and the other two are even more of an incognita.'_

He internally sighed. _'I...don't really want to do this. Milly is a friend, Kaguya can't be helped, but the others...no, at this point secrets are pointless. At least secrets of this kind.'_

Lelouch slowly raised his right hand up to chest level, before quickly putting it above his heart while bowing, the left arm spreading open his cape. "The eldest son of the late Empress Marianne and 17th in line to the imperial throne. Lelouch Vi Britannia, Eleventh Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire." He looked up and smiled. "At your service."

The reactions were mixed: Rakshata's mouth hanged open and her pipe tilted down; Akito just raised an eyebrow, as if just mildly interested; and Leila openly gaped, eyes widening as she stared at Lelouch's features. Meanwhile Milly was surprised but also happy, probably at the honesty, and Kaguya's happy expression hadn't changed.

Akito looked at Rakshata. "Is he telling the truth?"

"He's telling the fucking truth." She flatly said before catching herself. She coughed before giving Lelouch a roguish smile. "Who would have thought I would one day meet royalty? Nice to meet you, Your Highness."

"Y-You!" Leila pointed at Lelouch. "You're the Exiled Prince!"

He snorted. "Yes, I was called that too, wasn't I? How quaint."

"But! They said you-"

"Died?" He interrupted her in a monotone. "Executed by the Japanese government as retaliation mere days after the War's start, despite the rescue teams' best efforts to save me? Yes, yes they did."

The ex-Britannian prince's lips curled into a feral smile. "Except the only thing even remotely resembling those fabled 'rescue teams' I saw was the lone jet that bombed the house I was staying at hours _before_ Britannia started the invasion. Luckily for me I was outside at the time. Even if navigating through a war-torn Japan for the following two weeks before being rescued by old friends of my mother was tough for my ten years old self."

"Wow. And here I thought I have family issues." Akito stated bluntly, even if his words lacked the sarcastic edge of before. The others' faces were full of horror, and Milly was looking at Lelouch with sadness.

"But...then..." Leila began, but Lelouch raised a hand to interrupt her again.

"Make no mistake Miss Malcal. I was sent to Japan as a political hostage, just as a tool to catch Japan by surprise. And then, once my usefulness was over, they tried to make me into a martyr. Lelouch Vi Britannia is dead, and it's better he stays that way."

 **"Laying it a little thick Boss."**

 _'I know, but it needed to be said.'_ But with that done he could try to raise the mood. "As such, nowadays I go by the name Lelouch Lamperouge, Miss Ashford's ever-so-helpful Student Council Vice-President ." He bowed to her, to which she replied with a grin and a wave of her hand. Then he turned back to the others. "I also go by the moniker Zero, a mysterious masked leader currently creating a revolutionary army in order to challenge Britannia."

"Aah!" Kaguya let out a cute yelp of excitement before running in front of Lelouch and looking up at his face in blatant adoration, fingers folded together. "But of course! It could have been no one else! Such an amazing victory, and your bold actions!"

He stepped back. She stepped forward. He looked at her in confusion before it clicked. "Are you talking about Shinjuku? How do you know about that?"

"The cell of brave Japanese warriors you guided so marvelously is in contact with the agents of an ally of mine, Lelouch-sama. They even provided him with a video of when you helped defeat Britannia's new model." She tilted her head cutely. "You didn't know?"

Lelouch's left eyebrow twitched. "No, I didn't." _'Ohgi will have a lot of explaining to do when I come back.'_

"I see you are getting along. That is good." A new voice said suddenly.

No, to just call it a mere voice would be doing it a disservice: humans have voices, demons have voices, and Lelouch was almost sure ghosts and gods have voices too.

This?

This was pure _**power**_ used for the not-really fitting but still necessary act of communication.

His head slowly turned to face the source, causing every fight-or-flight instinct in his body to scream in alarm.

[ Play: "Jojo's Bizarre Adventure - Awaken (Pillar Men Theme)" ]

The handsome, green-skinned young nobleman had auburn hairs spread like a halo, and his green eyes were blazing with power and authority, like twin suns looking down at the earth from atop the sky. His smile could be said to be supremely confident or supremely arrogant, but in the deep recesses of his mind Lelouch knew there wasn't really any difference. His clothes were fitting for a king of old, of those times immemorial when humanity was young and the heavens infinite.

 **"BOW DOWN BOW DOWN BOW DOWN-"**

Seyrun screamed, but Lelouch had already kneeled down and bowed his head, his iron-clad force of will commanding his body to obey. The others did the same, though in Leila's case Akito had to gently but firmly push down the paralyzed girl. He had probably saved her life.

"It is good to meet you again, Lord Ligier." Rakshata and Akito said at the same time with a respectful tone, confirming exactly who they were dealing with.

"Akito. Rakshata." The Fetich of the Demon City acknowledged the two Infernals before looking at the others. "New faces have joined us today."

"Sumeragi Kaguya." Kaguya quickly replied to the unspoken question. "It is a great honor to be in your presence, Lord Ligier. I eagerly waited for such a chance, though I feared I was still unworthy to do so."

"Milly Ashford." The blonde replied. "It is an immense pleasure. Forgive me if my words may happen to lack proper reverence, for I was taught only to address mortal kings and those lessons are, obviously, wholly inadequate to address one such as you."

"Sumeragi Kaguya and Milly Ashford. I shall remember your names." The Green Sun of Malfeas said, apparently pleased. Then he turned to look at Lelouch, and his smile widens by a fraction. "And, of course, we have Lelouch Vi Britannia. The Ebon Dragon spoke much of you, such that even I grew curious. When Wise Oramus broke his long seclusion and joined the Reclamation just to claim you as his champion, that curiosity only grew."

"You honor me with your words Great Ligier." Lelouch said, forcing out and applying every notion of etiquette he had ever learned. "Especially since I believe myself unworthy of them. I am but an hatchling, having joined the ranks of the Peers only a few days ago. I have done nothing yet worth praising of."

"That is a correct assessment: you have done nothing yet. But you will." Ligier pressed his palms together. "Results are important, are they not?"

"Indeed, Great Ligier." Lelouch answered, having understood the hidden message: 'there are expectations about you, and you better meet them.' "I will do my utmost to not betray the trust granted to me."

The Unquestionable nodded before glancing at Leila, almost as if just noticing her. "Leila Malcal, was it? Right. You are here today as an ally of Slayer Akito, and will be treated as such. You don't possess voting rights...but of course helpful suggestions are always welcome."

The girl just nodded, probably too overwhelmed to do anything else.

"Follow me." Ligier turned around and began to walk away, all six of them instantly following him. "It's time to begin."

{●}

The heart of the amphitheater resembled those found on earth: a debate chamber with fifty wide platforms, each with at least three comfortable chairs of brass and red leather surrounding an arena of greenish sand. The sky was covered by a canopy lattice of brass filaments.

In the center of the sandy floor was a revolving rostrum large enough for a single person to stand behind an ornate podium. Once everyone was all seated on adjacent platforms, with only Akito and Leila sharing one, Ligier appeared in a flash of green light on the podium. A light touch upon the controls and the rostrum rose in the air, manipulated by a mechanical arm, until it was slightly above the position of everyone. Another touch, and a holographic image of Earth appeared in the empty space before the roof.

"It is my great pleasure to announce the first meeting of the ruling body of the Green Sun Princes, created for the purpose of debate, coordination of efforts, and deliberations: the Althing Infernal!" Ligier announced grandiosely, before his smile fell and was replaced by annoyance. "It was, of course, supposed to happen with all fifty Green Sun Princes present, but current circumstances made that impossible. This is one of the points that will be addressed today. In the meantime a member of each of the Five Castes is present, and this will have to do."

Eight marked points appeared on the map: one, Lelouch noted, was in Britannia while another was in Japan. "The Reclamation started seven years ago, when the barrier to seal the Underworld, powered by eight great magical foci erected by the Gods and the Sidereals, was finally breached, allowing Shadowlands to manifest again. It does still prevent most powerful undead beings like the Deathlords to cross into Creation, and that is good. The Ebon Dragon saw the opportunity and, aided by Oramus, conspired with the Lords of the Abyss to breach open the long-forgotten Jade Prison and retrieve the Solar Exaltations. Only 150 of them could be captured and 100 went to the servants of Oblivion, but 50 Exaltations still remained and were priceless."

He spread his arm, indicating the five Infernals. "By mine and many other Unquestionable's efforts were the pieces of the traitorous Sol's power reforged in the semblance of the True Masters of Creation, so that they could spread their glory to a world that has since long forgotten its creators. Mightier than any of the Akuma of old, were the Green Sun Princes born. True Infernal Exalts, free to leave Malfeas as they please and operate in Creation.

The problems, however, started soon afterward. While the process of Infernal Exaltation proved to be without flaws, almost all the chosen Exalts proved themselves to either be completely without restraints," Ligier frowned, and the ambient temperature rose to just short of uncomfortable. "so much so that they needed to be harshly 'dealt' with, or were just prone to die astonishing quickly, either by entering battles they couldn't win or mistaken for Solars and slain by kill-teams sent by the Sidereals."

"Kill-teams? Lord Ligier, could you please elaborate on that?" Kaguya requested.

"The Chosen of the Stars are aware of the breaking of the Jade Prison, but lacking the means to trap the Solar Exaltations again they seek to kill their hosts before they can become a threat." The Unquestionable explained. "For that purpose they, through their spies in the Dragonblooded community, deploy Wyld Hunts: teams of the most martially adept Dragons, trained in the most effective tactics against Celestial Exalts. Using their divinatory powers the Sidereals find the general locations of Exalts and direct those teams against them. This is how they have dealt with the Lunars since the Usurpation, even if the Chosen of Luna have became extremely good as escaping notice, and now they are used against the reborn Solars. Infernals are immune to their methods thanks to them existing outside the Loom of Fate, but the forming of the Chrysalis Grotesque is still something that can catch their attention, though I know with absolute certainty they are still unaware of a Green Sun Prince's true nature, thinking of them a new breed of Demonblooded. Fools." He smiled in pleased condescension.

"Of those first Chosen only two remain. Akito, who demonstrated great skills in mastering the powers of Mighty Isidoros and my Master Malfeas."

"Master Ferand is a harsh teacher." The bluenette shrugged. "He eagerly awaits the time I can, I quote, 'punch mountains and use them as projectiles like a proper Celestial Exalt should'."

 _'...Okay, is that a real thing that happened?'_

 **"I learned to not by shocked by what Exalt can or cannot do Boss."**

"And yet you thrive." Ligier said in in apparent praise before switching to Rakshata. "The second is Rakshata, first Chosen of Blessed Cytherea and who has since then incessantly worked to adapt Malfeas' technology to the modern world's conflicts."

"I aim to please." The Indian scientist replie with a satisfied smirk.

"These two have for a long time been the only two reliable Infernals on hand, even after shortening the required time in the Chrysalis Grotesque. Many in the Reclamation Conclave, the assembly of all the Third Circle Souls of those Yozis who joined the Reclamation, of which I am the Head,-" he said proudly. "-began to display doubts about the project. Until three new entries and their choosing a Champion each rekindled those hopes."

He gestured at Kaguya. "The first happened when Great Szoreny chose you, Sumeragi Kaguya."

"Yes, Lord Ligier." She bowed in deference. "Using the blessings of both Great Szoreny and Great Cecelyne I have begun gathering followers, converting people to the True Religion, and organizing the existing cults into a formalized structure, to maximize efforts while making it impossible for future enemies to deliver truly crippling blows to them. I am also halfway to gaining leadership of the Six Houses of Kyoto, after which I will be able to fully dedicate their resources to the Reclamation."

"Is Kirihara Taizo still alive?" Lelouch asked, inwardly marveling at Kaguya's accomplishments: she may still be young, but she was already an excellent politician...and a worthy ally.

"He is." Kaguya frowned. "He was the one who provided the Shinjuku cell with information about the poison gas, without even informing the other Heads."

"Did he?" Lelouch mused. "Still, it granted me a real chance to accomplish my goals. So we can say it ended well."

"Extremely well if what I heard is true." Ligier continued by gesturing at Milly. "You know, there was an uproar when Hegra joined the Reclamation, and chose a Champion from the Caste of Adorjan at that. Many feared that any such Chosen would be a walking disaster."

"Eeeh, I am not quite on that level, I'm afraid." Milly mused, a finger on her lips. "I mean yes, I only Exalted two months ago and since then I only managed to...one moment." She quickly counted off her fingers. "Fourteen. Yes, it should be. I managed to involve fourteen Britannian nobles into huge scandals, ranging from infidelity to appearing on TV naked and drunk."

Lelouch didn't fall from his chair. He definitely did not.

"Chaos in the enemy's chair of command is always useful." Thankfully Ligier chose to not comment on that. Instead he turned to face the raven-haired youth. "And, finally, we have you, Lelouch. I must confess your appointment as a Green Sun Prince was...let's say irregular. While the task to chose a worthy mortal is left to the inbuilt mechanisms of the Exaltations, the Ebon Dragon has made known to the Conclave that there was one specific human who could not only resolve the issue of the missing Infernals, but also be an ideal leader capable of focusing all the Green Sun Princes into a force on equal footing with Britannia, Heaven and the Underworld."

"Ah. To hear such praise, I am honored." He quickly bowed, partially in respect and partially to hide the emotions currently passing on his face. To know that the Primordial Titan that embody Darkness and Opposition had such faith in him and his abilities...was honestly unsettling.

 **"Now you see why I didn't dare speak his name before merging with you."**

"That's why it was honestly amusing when the messengers of Wise Oramus came and, calling upon a debt Ebon Dragon owed to him, declared you as his Champion." Why he found it amusing, Lelouch didn't ask. "But also intriguing. The Dragon Beyond the World has never acted before, even as many of his souls worked fervently to end his ignoble imprisonment. To choose a Champion, many feel this event may be just what is needed to settle the Reclamation on a successful road. Even then, the plans of Oramus are much more trustworthy than the Ebon Dragon's."

"I owe my Master and all of Malfeas a debt I believe will require much to repay." Lelouch bowed again. "Thanks to their blessings I was able, during the battle of Shinjuku, to steal many Knightmare Frames and give them to the almost routed rebels. Under my orders they turned the battle around and crushed Britannia's army. If not for the intervention of Britannia's new Knightmare it would have been a total victory, but even then I used the blessings of both Ebon Dragon and Oramus to convince Clovis La Britannia it was the Pureblood Faction's fault, leading to a witch hunt that will severely destabilize Area 11. Taking advantage of that, I am currently training the members of the Shinjuku cell to become the core of a future army capable of standing against Britannia."

"Wait a moment." Rakshata interrupted him. "Britannia has a new type of Knightmare?"

"Yes. And one which use Jade in its structures. I have reasons to believe the one who build it is a Dragonblooded."

"Jade?" Rakshata's mouth hanged open before she grinned. "Lloyd. It could be no one else. What could it do?"

"Besides being more agile and faster than any five meters tall metal giant has any right to be? I saw it doing a flying kick!" Lelouch scoffed. "It was white, more humanoid than a Sutherland, and even had energy shields."

"I knew it." She leaned on her chair and put the pipe in her mouth. "He had an head-start so I shouldn't be surprised, but to think Britannia already managed to produce a Seventh Generation Knightmare Frame..."

"Seventh Generation?!" Leila jumped to her feet. "Are you sure?"

"It certainly seems that way. I saw the footage myself, and that thing is way above currently existing frames. But Japan also has its own Seventh Frame: the Guren MK-II." Kaguya looked at Rakshata. "Which, if I am not wrong, was made by you?"

"Correct: it's my precious baby. Made combining the best of Earth and Malfeas' technology." She said proudly. "I needed to find a pilot who can't use Essence but is still capable of fully using it in order to gather data for the future mass-production models, so knowing the resistance was very active in Area Eleven I sent it there."

"Is that so? Then we have an ideal candidate." Kaguya smiled. "The pilot who managed to stand against the Seventh Generation using only a Sutherland."

"Her name is Kallen." Lelouch told them. "And I can say proudly she is the best among my soldiers."

"Really? You make me want to come there and see her myself."

"Seventh Generation, huh?" Akito mused before turning to Leila. "Do you think the Alexanders stand a chance?"

"How should I know?" She replied before noticing everyone was staring at her. "Sorry, but this is secre-"

"Me and the Major are part of a secret special Knightmare unit called W-0, with the officers being EU military and the pilots being recruited among the refugee Japanese that escaped the war in exchange for giving full citizen status to their families." Akito suddenly said. At Leila's scandalized face he just put a finger over her lips and continued. "The Alexander is a prototype Sixth Generation frame developed by a friend of the Major. They're hard to control, but provides great mobility even when other Knightmares would have troubles. Armor isn't that great though."

 _'Members recruited among formally non-recognized citizens and use of prototypes?'_ Lelouch frowned. _'Why does it make me think the EU is going to use them for suicide missions?'_

 **"Maybe they are?"**

 _'Then they are no different from Britannia.'_

"As refreshing as it is to finally see this chamber being used for its original function-" Ligier's words caused everyone to sit ramrod straight and give him their full attention. "There are still some things I must speak of, which happen to be the most important ones. Namely, what is expected from you Infernals."

He raised a hand, and the image of Earth turned into that of Ligier's sun-self. "The ultimate goal of the Reclamation is to open the gates of Hell! To sunder the accursed surrender oaths and to liberate our King and his siblings from their unjust imprisonment! For that I personally promise you the support, resources, and military might of Malfeas. It will obviously take a long time for you to reach the might necessary to realistically pursue such a great task, but time is something we all have plenty of.

A secondary but more immediate goal is to spread Malfeas' influence across the modern Creation. In this case Britannia is the greatest obstacle, because a world fully dominated by it would surely cripple our already meager efforts. Therefore, fighting against it by any means available is the current highest priority. Of course you must still follow the orders of your own Masters: in case they interfere with the above two goals you can discuss among yourself the best way to achieve both, or in the case of truly irreconcilable conflicts you can bring your concerns to the Conclave.

Another point of great importance is to keep an eye out for...unusual Exalts. 100 of the stolen Exaltations went to the Underworld, and I have no doubts those abominations will use them to create servants to do what they cannot: bring death to all of Creation." He frowned. "That is, of course, unacceptable. If you meet Exalts that use arts of clear Underworld origin they must be killed or taken prisoner, with them and any information you can gather sent to Malfeas. Temporary alliances are...acceptable, but you must be ready to turn on them at the first opportunity."

""Yes Lord Ligier."" They all bowed.

"Finally, we can address the topic of the missing Infernals. During the most recent Conclave it was suggested that a more successful method to make sure future Exalts are loyal and last longer could be by having already accomplished Chosen train the new ones before sending them here. The proposal was found promising and approved. As the first full Coven, it will be your duty to instill others of your Caste with... _healthy_ survival instincts." He pressed his hands together. "That also require retrieving them in case we can't spare agents. In return you will maintain a status of seniority until all seats are filled, which grants you the right to give orders to your junior Peers...provided they don't interfere with their respective Masters' orders and the other major goals of the Reclamation, of course."

Well then, that was interesting. The concession means Lelouch could virtually have the whole Althing follow his directives without the need to convince the others in a debate, at least for a limited time. Not to mention he could gain the trust of other Peers, allies more likely to support him.

To do that, he needed to bring the other four to his side. Milly was already a solid ally, and Kaguya for some reason seemed to hold Lelouchto in high regard despite not having met for seven years. Rakshata, he could give her Kallen as a pilot for this 'Guren' in exchange for her collaboration. Akito was a more complicated matter: maybe Lelouch could just have Ligier order the EU soldier to assist him, but he also wanted Leila: as Seyrun said, Dragonblooded minions were valuable. Since her unit was top-secret and made of Japanese, Lelouch and Kaguya could convince whoever was in charge of it to support Zero's rebellion in exchange for weakening Britannia and other concessions like more Sakuradite.

But to do all that, Lelouch needed to persuade the others that assisting the rebellion was the best thing to do, for the Althing and Malfeas in general.

 **"You could, I don't know, offer Japan to the Yozi or something?"** Seyrun offered.

Lelouch blinked. _'Actually, you may be onto something.'_ Creating an empire was also Oramus' desire, so why not start with Japan? Converting and unifying the whole population under the worship of the Yozi as the world's saviors, basically making Japan a subordinate kingdom of Hell.

If that didn't make Heaven shit their pants, Lelouch didn't know what could.

He just needed to sell the idea to those presents.

"Lord Ligier, may I speak?" He eventually asked with reverence to the Unquestionable. At his silent nod Lelouch stood up and bowed. "Thank you. In light of what you revealed to us today, I have created a plan that I am sure will be able to take care of the more pressing issues, and also advance greatly the Reclamation's efforts towards its ultimate goal. I would like to propose it to everyone present."

"That was fast." Ligier commented with amusement. "Go on."

Lelouch took a deep breath before beginning. "The first point I want to address is that of the future Peers. Because the survival and training of the future Infernals is a key part of the Reclamation's objectives, obviously the survival of the current Infernals is of paramount importance to make that possible. This is something more likely to happen if everyone here is working together, rather than scattered. Peer Kaguya, Peer Milly and myself are all currently residing in Japan and should be able to work together readily." Both Kaguya and Milly nodded at his words. "Peer Rakshata has already shown interest in coming to Japan, and I am are more than willing to provide a test pilot of adequate skills for the Guren Mk-II. Unless her presence is required elsewhere...?"

"Nope, I am free." The Indian scientist replied. "Me and Akito just finished a minor project in the Middle Eastern Federation. Now all that remains is to reap the benefits, and I have subordinates for that." She put the pipe in her mouth and smiled. "Beside, I have a lot of stuff made for urban warfare that only need testing: Japan sounds like the perfect place to do so."

"That would be most helpful." He thanked her before turning to the blue-haired Japanese. "That leaves Peer Akito. I believe it's essential for him to be near the rest of the Coven in order to fight any Wyld Hunts sent after us. Akito is a Slayer, from his and Lord Ligier's comments a warrior of great power who will only become even greater. While I am an elite Knightmare pilot myself, I am limited in the time and effort I can spend making myself personally capable in other areas of combat given my other responsibilities. Not to mention my greatest talents lie elsewhere. I suspect the others are in a similar situation, being focused on political efforts in the case of Milly and Kaguya or scientific pursuits in the case of Rakshata. Am I wrong?"

"You are not, Peer Lelouch." Kaguya readily admitted. "I possess no martial ability whatsoever."

"Me neither. I have a Charm-" Seyrun snorted at Rakshata's words. "-that offers excellent support against normal humans, but isn't ideal against Exalts and other magical beings."

"As I thought. To balance this out the four of us need Akito close by." You saw Akito nodding absentmindedly, but Leila's expression was quickly turning into a scowl. Time to strike. "Peer Akito, Major Malcal, I would like to propose that we convince your superiors to send the W-0 unit to Japan. I believe it will be a much better environment for your pilots to operate in."

While Lelouch still had a hard time getting a good read on Akito, Leila was clearly hesitant, but he could see that her interest is piqued. "How so?" She asked.

Giving his Essence a push, Lelouch stated his case. "For seven years Japan and its people have been oppressed by Britannia, and what Akito has said about your unit doesn't indicate things are all that much better for the Japanese refugees within the EU if they have not been granted citizenship after that long. Given their lack of citizenship and the use of prototypes, I have little doubt that they are intended for highly dangerous missions in place of normal troops. In short, suicide missions."

He could tell she was upset, in spite of her efforts to stay calm. She was aware of the matter, but she didn't like it. "I can tell you don't approve of this notion, and neither do I. An enlightened world has no place for such discrimination. If you work with me, I can assure you that your subordinates would be valued as much as my own."

The look on her face said she was interested. Perhaps just a bit more bait. "Also, I'm certain that Peer Rakshata would be willing to look over the Alexanders with your friend - with the advances that come of it, I'm sure their chances of survival in battle will increase greatly." The Indian scientist smiled confidently. "So, what do you say?"

"I...would like that." Leila seemed to hesitate before her gaze hardened. "But you want my unit to aid your rebellion."

"Of course." Lelouch's honesty without hesitation stunned her. Obviously he took advantage of that. "We both know that it is only a matter of time before Britannia and the E.U. wage war against each other. So, instead of operating in missions that will likely result in high casualties, wouldn't it be better to work for a task that equally aids your nation, but it is much less dangerous? Plus if Japan is liberated the refugees could return to their home nation. There they would not be unjustly discriminated against, and could lead happier lives."

He raised his arm, letting his cape flapping dramatically. "This brings me to the next point, and the most important one: how Japan can be the ideal beachhead for the Reclamation, as well as a vital linchpin to any effort for defeating Britannia."

"Creation is large. Not as it was once, but still big." Ligier commented with what seemed, **seemed** , honest curiosity. "What makes a small island nation so special?"

"What it represents, and could be. Japan contains 70% of the world's known Sakuradite reserves. This makes it a strategic location with few equals in the world. By freeing Japan from Britannia's control it severely weakens their ability to wage war abroad: from Knightmares to common guns, the Britannian war machine runs on Sakuradite. Even if we have tangible proof that they have started using other magical materials, it is still an undeniable fact that cutting Britannia's source of Sakuradite would have devastating effects on them. Similarly, that advantage could become that of the Reclamation if Japan comes under its control."

He looked at Leila. "This is also a good negotiation point with the E.U. for sending the W-0 unit to Japan. The geographic location of Japan makes it impossible for the E.U. to gain control it, as they'd have to go through either Britannia or the Chinese Federation, neither of which is possible. An independent Japan is therefore better for them, especially if they have friendly relations. Britannia would be weakened, and their other rival wouldn't gain an advantage either, but by helping the revolution they can gain many advantages: like, an increased supply of Sakuradite?"

"You know, he isn't wrong." Akito commented, looking at Leila. "And even if we are discovered? The top brass can just say we went rogue. Things like those happen all the times."

Leila stared at Akito with a non-amused glare. She opened her mouth as if to say something before stopping, closing it and sitting down with a sigh. "You have already decided, uh? Fine, alright. But you will need to convince the W-0 Unit's supervisor, General Gene Smilas." She scowled. "Also, I want command of the W-0. There is no way I am leaving that racist Anou in charge."

"I would like to take care of that." Kaguya smileed innocently. "As a representative of the old government of Japan, I am the most qualified for the job."

"Thank you both for your collaboration." Lelouch did a small bow before continuing. "With Japan freed, showing that an Area can liberate itself, rebellion will increase in other places conquered by Britannia, further weakening it. But it is in Japan specifically that my plan will unfold."

He spread his arms. "Japan is an ideal location to lay the foundation for achieving the objective Wise Oramus has given me: to create an empire that will surpass everything Britannia is and will ever be!" His declaration drew curious stares from everyone, sans Milly who already knew and Ligier whose expression didn't let anything out. "I believe this is also a good platform that may be helpful for meeting the orders of the other Infernals here." Lelouch looked at the others. "Or would that interfere with your duties?"

The others shook their heads in denial.

"Excellent. Finally, why I am sure my plan will aid the Reclamation." Lelouch turned to Ligier. "The empire I will build, is one where the people will embrace the worship of the Yozis! Japan is, again, ideal for this, as there are many disenfranchised people and cults have already begun being built. The cursed and corrupt gods have done nothing to help them, so the Yozis and their champions will become their champions. With Japan under our rule and worshiping the the Yozis, the future empire will become a subordinate kingdom to Hell, one that recognizes the world's True Masters and willingly aids in their liberation!"

Silence. For a few seconds nobody spoke, Lelouch's fellow Infernals and Leila staring at him in mute fascination.

"Ahahahaha!"

And then Ligier laughed. Like his voice it was hardly something that belong to humans: it was like an explosion of energy, a wavelength that made the air itself suffocating to breath.

It was a natural disaster, and the only reason Lelouch's mask of confidence didn't crack was that Ligier's laughter...wasn't hostile.

"Now I see the unrestrainable ambition of a true Exalted! I can honestly say this is the boldest plan I have heard in the last few millennia. You do realize that, unlike cults, there will be no way to hide the conversion of an entire nation?" His smile was one of sadistic glee. "But oh, I would willing give some of my most precious treasures just to see the faces of those fools in Heaven the moment they hear the news!"

Lelouch bowed. "I am perfectly aware Lord Ligier. Yet, I don't plan to proceed without making appropriate preparations. By the time my vision becomes reality the new kingdom will be equipped to deal with any violent responses, both from Britannia and Heaven, its armies ready to fight to protect their home just as fiercely as they fought to free it. And even if it not suffices...this plan requires only the five of us to oversee." He indicated his fellow Exalts. "As we do it and bring Britannia's focus upon us, the other 45 Green Sun Princes will be able to strike everywhere else, forcing our enemies to either stretch their forces too thinly to be effective, or concentrate on a single target at the exclusion of all others, with the risk they grow too strong in the meantime. Whatever they do, it's their loss."

"You would stand openly against everyone, even at the risk of annihilation?" Ligier asked Lelouch.

"If the king does not lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?" The young Fiend raised his left hand and made a sharp, cutting horizontal gesture sideway. "We will inspire by example, to show our future Peers that, no matter how numerous our enemies are-" He raised his head proudly. "Victory will be ours as long as our will is stronger than theirs!"

Kaguya was the first to react: she stood up and began to clap. Milly followed immediately. Rakshata snorted before letting her pipe suspended in the air by a field of energy and started clapping too. For the first time Akito's expression showed emotions: his lips curled into a bloodthirsty smile, but he clapped nonetheless. Leila immediately imitated him before stopping, as if only then realizing what she was doing. Yet a few moments later she resumed clapping.

"The Dragons were right: Lelouch Vi Britannia, you really are something else." Ligier looked at him with an intrigued stare. "The operations of the Althing are up to his members. Are all of you ready to back up this plan, knowing the price for failure?"

"I was ready since the time I accepted to become a Green Sun Prince." Was Lelouch's answer.

"Where Lelouch goes, I'll follow!" Was Milly's answer.

"To protect Japan is my duty, to show its people the right way my pleasure." Was Kaguya's answer.

"I have a dream, and nothing will steer me away from making it a reality." Was Rakshata's answer.

"I was saved, in more ways than one. Now it's time to return the favor." Was Akito's answer.

Leila gulped, but then sighed in relief when nobody asked her to say something too.

"Your determination will serve you well. But there is a last topic I must address." Ligier's right hand was suddenly weathered in green fire. When it subsided in his palm stood a black prism-like stone with a core of green light. Seyrun informed Lelouch it was one of those Hearthstones the demon told him about. "The Althing needs a Marshal. Someone who will act as the mouthpiece for all Peers, making sure the assembly's laws are respected and will bring their concerns to the Conclave should the need arise. Who do you think is most qualified for this task?"

All eyes turned to Lelouch. Clearing expecting this Ligier smiled and commanded the rostrum to move until he was right in front of the raven-haired youth. "Lelouch Vi Britannia. Green Sun Prince. Peer of the Demon City. Do you accept the title of Marshal of the Althing Infernal, with all that it implies?"

Lelouch knelt down and bowed. "I do. I swear it on my name and on my very soul."

"Then this is yours." Ligier held out the hearthstone. Lelouch extended his arm and the demon put the stone in his palm. The young Fiend felt a miniscule part of his Essence being drawn into the stone, and following that the creation of a metaphysical link between him and it. Information filled his mind, and he knew everything about the hearthstone.

It recognized its new **master**.

After that the others, save Leila, touched the stone too, creating a link to it. Finally Ligier addressed everyone in a final, brief speech. "Go forth Green Sun Princes! You are the will of the Yozis! Remember Creation of its True Masters! Show no mercy to any who oppose you!"

He then ascended to the sky in a flash of impossible emerald brilliance, the buildings giving way to his passage before snapping back in place. Leaving the six Green Sun Princes alone.

"That went well." Rakshata stretched before standing up and walking away. She stopped and looked back at Lelouch, Kaguya and Milly. "One of the Unquestionables of your Patrons will surely request to meet you, and soon. Before that happen take possession of your personal palace and then meet me at the armory: it's time we properly equip you with Exalted gear."

"That would be most useful. Thank you." The Defiler smiled and walked away. Akito and Leila were talking, so the others gave them privacy and left too.

 **"That went...well."** Seyrun commented with a relieved tone. **"Honestly, standing before an Unquestionable is usually a sign you fucked up, _badly_. Please Boss, let's not end there."**

 _'I_ do _have self-preservation instincts.'_ Lelouch replied back sarcastically.

Kaguya appeared on his right, matching his pace. Milly did the same to is left.

"Lelouch-sama, later I would like to speak privately with you." She asked with a happy smile. "There are so many things we have to discuss."

"Of course." Lelouch replied with a small bow. "Our stay in Malfeas has just begun. There will be plenty of time for that."

Now if only he could understand why Milly was grinning like the cat that got the bird, he would be able to relax.

{●}

==Ohgi==

It had only been two days since Zero had left, and Ohgi Kaname had already read through three of the books that he had been instructed to read. Kaname did not consider himself a violent man, not liking war. He had been a teacher, a man dedicated to ensuring that the younger generation had a bright future ahead of them. It was ironically that which had lead him to taking up arms against Britannia. What hope could his pupils have of even a decent future when they were relegated to being second class citizens?

The contents of the books had been eye opening. Kaname knew he wasn't as good of a leader as Naoto was. He'd only taken over as the group's leader after Naoto's death because there wasn't really anyone else who seemed like they could. Ever since then the group had been in decline, getting less funding from their backer and losing members as their petty victories were outnumbers by numerous defeats. If Zero hadn't saved them in Shinjuku they'd all be dead now, along with every last citizen in Shinjuku.

Kaname could only chide himself at his failure, but not as a leader. No, he was disappointed in himself for failing to do what all teachers should do - continue learning. Why had it not occurred to him to learn how to lead even if only at an academic level? Hell, if he had thought to get Naoto books like these would his friend still be alive? Naoto was a good leader, but looking back he had been mostly leading through good instincts. With the right training, could he have been as good as Zero? Maybe. All Kaname knew was that what he was learning would possibly one day keep his people alive, so he was eager to understand it.

His stomach grumbled, and he realized he had left his meal untouched for the last couple hours. Cold curry didn't sound very appetizing, but he wasn't about to waste it. He picked up his plate and spoon, and then began to eat.

"Hmmm?" he chewed and swallowed, and then looked at the rather plain looking meal. "This is pretty good."

==Shirley==

Lelouch's fan club was out of control. Did they have no shame?

*click, save, click, save*

It was scandalous! How could they take so many pictures of her darling Lulu without his permission like this?

*click, save, click, save*

She'd report it to Milly, but the President would only encourage this kind of behavior.

*click, save, click, save*

Was that a picture of Lelouch bending over!? Why was it so focused on his butt? His amazing...

*click, flash*

Shirley looked up and saw Rivalz standing behind her monitor, smiling mischievously while holding a camera. "Oya, Shirley, what ever might you be up to to have such a look on your face?" He turned the camera around to show a picture of her staring at the monitor, a lecherous, open mouthed smile on her face, and... was she drooling just a bit? "Has the fair maiden perhaps found the now infamous site of Lelouch's fan club?"

Shirley was absolutely certain she had gone beet red at that point. "N... n... no, of course not! I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Oh, so you all that clicking wasn't you saving pictures to look at later?"

Something inside her snapped.

==Nina==

A loud noise distracted her from the equations she was looking at. Turning around she saw Shirley attempting to strangle Rivalz. She sighed in relief that it was just something normal happening, and turned back to her computer to continue her work.

==Kallen==

Looking at Kallen now, most people would only see a young woman playing on a game at an arcade. Kozuki Kallen though was training, or at least as best she could without being able to actually go out in a real Knightmare. She wished she had a real simulator available, but the current generation of arcade games were a decent substitute.

At this moment, she was looking at her time. She was the previous record holder of this particular scenario on this machine, something she had been quite proud of. But now she'd blown her previous time out of the water by just under four minutes. While she hadn't thrown herself into reading the books on war and tactics as much as Ohgi had, she had been quite interested in a few chapters involving Knightmare combat. The book "The Conquest of Area 11: How Knightmares Changed the Course of Warfare" had been really illuminating.

She was a good pilot. She knew that. Few could match her if they were in an identical machine. Reading hadn't really helped her as a pilot. What it had helped was to give her an understanding of fighting alongside other Knightmare pilots and how others did the same. Her Glasgow had been destroyed in Shinjuku. Hunted down by that arrogant dog in the Sutherland like she was a little rabbit. He had help though. It wasn't just his superior machine that won the day for him, but the fact that he had others backing him up.

The scenario she'd just played had a number of AI pilots on her side she could give some primitive commands to. She'd never really bothered with them before. They had always seemed slow, more a hindrance than a help. She could always win on her own. But now she realized that just charging ahead by herself had slowed down how quickly she could win, and that the only reason she had been winning was because her AI allies had still be targets the enemy had to contend with. This time she had worked with them, positioning them to help her own attacks, and the results...

Kallen smiled. Next time she would be the hunter.

==Tamaki==

Tamaki was pissed. How could Zero put a talented man like him in charge of something like food? Tamaki should be in charge of finances or something else important. Oh, Zero had made it sound like the cooking was important and all at the time, but Tamaki was sure it was bullshit. As he was stirring his pot of curry to keep it from burning, he was about to complain loudly before he was interrupted.

"Tamaki-kun, can I have seconds?" He looked up and saw Naomi holding an empty plate.

"Oh, sure. Just a sec, Inoue-san" He took the plate and began putting more rice and curry on it.

"I didn't know you could cook, Tamaki. It's really good. Everyone is saying so." She smiled.

"Err... thanks. I don't usually cook because it's a bit of a hassle, so I usually eat out." It was true. He considered himself a man of taste. He only would cook when he was low on cash. Did people really like his cooking? "Here you go." He handed her the plate.

"You should cook more often, Tamaki-kun. Women love a man that can cook." She winked at him, leaving him blushing and rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment and pride. Maybe Zero knew what he was doing after all, recognizing Tamaki's true talents? Of course. That had to be how it was. Zero was too smart to waste someone like Tamaki on something unimportant, right?

* * *

 **Coven** : A group of _Infernal Exalts_ gathered together for a common purpose.

 **First Official Coven's Composition:**

 **Slayer** : Akito Hyuga

 **Malefactor** : Kaguya Sumeragi

 **Defiler** : Rakshata Chawla

 **Scourge** : Milly Ashford

 **Fiend** : Lelouch Vi Britannia


	7. Chapter 7

**Dislaimer:** I do not own Code Geass, which is propriety of Studio Sunrise, and neither do I own Exalted, which is property of White Wolf Publishing.

This fiction originally appeared as a quest-style story on the forum Sufficient Velocity. As such do not be confused by the strange structure.

* * *

 **Fiendish Advent - Act 7**

{●}

Lelouch's palace was like the rest of the Conventicle Malfeasant, made primarily with black basalt, gold and brass. The style was vaguely reminiscent of Asian culture with a touch of Roman influence. Much to Seyrun's clear displeasure Lemmun was there waiting for Lelouch as the guide.

The palace itself was a huge thing with many halls, ballrooms, bedchambers, libraries and other rooms, the wall covered with great tapestries and works of art from Malfeas.

The latter were, luckily, only mildly disturbing.

"The Palaces was fitted with all the commodities of the modern world that could be installed Green Sun Prince." The Naneke explained. "Sadly some technological wonders couldn't be replicated for various reasons, but I can assure you any basic need you may desire for can be satisfied readily. There are many serfs working incessantly for that purpose and to keep the palace at full efficiency at all times."

"That's good, however I will spend much of my time in Creation. As such I have need of serfs expert in fighting, stealth and any other military ability. I also need to learn how to summon them myself."

"Of course Master. This can be easily arranged, and the libraries of Unquestionable Orabilis contain all the knowledge you require. Or, if it pleases you, my humble self can teach you himself."

 **"Oh please, no!"**

"I will consider it." Lelouch cautiously replied. "Where are we going anyway?"

"The center of the Palace Master, the heart of the Manse. You will need to claim ownership of it and the Hearthstone within, so that nobody can question your authority."

 _'Another one?'_ He touched the pocket where heput the Gem of the Conventicle Malfeasant. _'Can never have enough I suppose.'_

Reaching a large door two Erymanthoi opened it for them to step inside.

"Yuuuppiii!"

Right into a drunken party. The young Fiend stopped, staring in mild confusion as the Anuhles from the Dark-Green Fangs spread across the room, either drinking from bottles, wobbling around, singing or just snoring loudly.

 **"Those fucking imbeciles!"** Seyrun seethed. **"I lose sight of them for a while, and THIS is what they do?"**

"Oh dear." Lemmun sniffed at an half-empty bottle. "It appears they found the reserve of bonewine."

 _'Bonewine? No wait, I don't want to know.'_ Lelouch cleared his throat before speaking, loudly but calmly. "Having fun?"

"You bet-" An Anuhle began, before realizing who he was speaking to. "Oh fuck! Guys! The Boss is here!" With a startled gasp everyone rushed to form an orderly line, even if the effect was ruined by those still mostly sober needing to draw along the absolutely drunk and the passed out.

Lelouch smiled pleasantly, his eyes closed. "What. Happened?"

They fidgeted nervously. Eventually one found the courage to speak. "Weeellll...we were waiting...nothing to do...we found the wine-" He began before another spider sleep-tackled and pushed him down.

 **"Pain. Pain for those idiots."**

"Punishment, Master?" One of the Erymanthoi growled.

"Sadly I need them alive." He shook his head. "Just beat the drunkenness out of them."

The apes smiled. The spiders paled.

Ignoring the cries of pain Lelouch followed Lemmun to the other side of the room, where on a raised pillar stood another Hearthstone. The process took longer because he needed to do the attunement himself and alone, but eventually it went off without problems.

* * *

"Here we are." Hands of Essence pushed open the massive doors, and Rakshata guided the other Infernals into the armory of the Conventicle Malfeasant. The inside was full of racks, each one holding weapons of every type, to swords to spears and even guns, plus simpler but not less impressive items.

"You made them?" Lelouch asked, looking in wonder as what his new Essence sight was telling him were relics of great potency.

"Only a small part. Malfeas' massive production of Relics never slowed down since the Primordial War. I just helped refining it to modern needs." She answered smugly. "This is only the equipment that can be fitted on a person. Since Exalts can't only rely on their Charms, we need to prepare in any way possible."

"Make sense." He gave a cursory glance around before discarding the melee-weapons as viable options. Instead he walked to the firearms section and picked up a random gun. Heavy, yet it fit into his hand perfectly. "Those are Relic guns, yes? Do they have a specific name?"

"Hellcasters."

How appropriate.

* * *

After Lelouch and the others made their selection a demon came to see the raven-haired prince: a great crimson snake, two emeralds for eyes. "Peer Lelouch Vi Britannia, also know as Lelouch Lamperouge and Zero?" It hissed.

Just by how it said all three of his identities Lelouch had an inkling of what this was about. "I am." The Mark of Ebon Dragon opened up like a third eye, looking down at the snake.

It bowed down. "By the order of my Master I came. Unquestionable Daendels requests your presence at the site where Mighty Oramus rest."

Called it.

 **"Daendels...Oh fuck."** Seyrun was awestruck. **"Daendels the Unfettered Heart. He is not just an Unquestionable of Oramus: he's his Fetich!"**

 _'Even more reasons to answer then.'_ Lelouch turned to Kaguya and apologized. "Sorry, it appears our talk will need to wait."

"It's not problem." She smiled in understanding. "Good luck Lelouch-sama."

"Thank you." He looked back at the snake. "Let's go."

Waiting for him and the properly chastised Dark-Green Fangs was a dirigible-like airship manned by various demons with human-like form. Faster and more comfortable than an Agatae, it took only three cries of Tomescu to reach their destination, time Lelouch spent admiring the layers of Malfeas they passed over.

Passing above a forest of metallic sheen, great swarms of metallic insects swarming around at the airship's passage, his gaze fell for the first time on the Shattered Cities: a veritable mountain range of jagged, ruined buildings and cities lain waste, shattered spires and leveled temples visible at every turn.

And in the center of it was an egg-like mass the size of a mountain, its color changing rhythmically like the beat of a great hearth, a great structure of brass and marble hundreds of feet tall surrounding it like a scaffolding constructed by mad spiders.

Lelouch knew what— **who** was it even before Seyrun told him.

 **"Oh Great Oramus..."** He whispered with reverence before descending in a litany of fervent prayers to the deity before them.

Lelouch instead stared at his patron in rapt fascination, absentmindedly following the serfs out of the ship and through the rubble until they reached the entrance to the scaffolding, the only temple to Oramus that ever existed, and the demons left Lelouch there alone, the Anuhles waiting outside at a respectful distance.

For what seem like hours he stared there, silent and immobile, Seyrun's prayers relegated to background buzz. His gaze sweeped over the great being, every Essence lattice and detail searing itself into his mind with absolute clarity, the blasphemous reality of Oramus's cage revealing itself.

He thought how long he has been in this state. How much he must have suffered, but here he failed miserably because he knew that, no much how he struggled, he could understand only an infinitesimal small part of it.

"How could they do this?" Lelouch finally whispered in a mix of horror and indignation.

"Fear mostly." A new voice said from behind him. Old, and wise beyond understanding. "For they could never quench the doubt gnawing at their hearts that all their efforts were, essentially, only a temporary measure."

Lelouch turned around.

Out of all the demons he met Daendels was the most human-like. Appearing like an old but still strong man, he wore timeless simple clothes of a traveler or desert dweller, a hat partially shadowing his face. Then Lelouch realized it was not covered by shadows—everything above his nose **WAS** a shadow, an emptiness in the structure of reality that cannot be pierced. That he **didn't** want to pierce.

The young Fiend fell down to one knee and bowed deeply. "Honoured Unquestionable."

"At ease boy." The demon said simply while walking past him, deeper into the temple, before stopping and looking up at Oramus. "I will not stay here long, so we can dispense with the pleasantries."

"As...you wish." He replied with some hesitation. He slowly looked up. "Are you...Unquestionable Daendels?"

"That I am." He hummed. "I didn't have much faith in this Reclamation project, honestly not with all those fools trying, and failing, to make a coherent effort. Have you ever seen a reunion of the Conclave? Put ten Radeken in a cage meant to comfortably hold only six, and they will be more civil. Everyone has at least a single counterpart they hate, and they only search to further their own interests. By the end of each session there are always been a dozen attempted murders."

Lelouch stood silent, mentally trying to image the scenario painted by Daendels. It wasn't pretty.

"But, apparently my Oversoul has a plan: you." He slightly tilted his body clockwise. "He didn't say much, but he told me every necessary move has been made, and all that remain is waiting for the results to show themselves."

"Words cannot express how honored I am to have such trust given upon me." Lelouch bowed deeply again. "Like I said to Unquestionable Ligier, I owe my Master and all of Malfeas a debt I believe will require much to repay. Whatever is asked of me, I will strive to achieve it at all costs."

"Yes. Debts must be repaid." He said in apparent approval before tossing something at Lelouch. "Catch."

He grabbed it out of the air. It turned out to be a scroll, around which was wrapped an Amulet with a single Hearthstone on it.

"I was told to give those things to you. The Hearthstone is for a Manse that sometimes fly around. Nothing much, but the stone itself is something you need to keep on yourself on all times. The scroll tells you how to meet the one who, among my soul-siblings, was decided is the best teacher for you. If you are in need of everything else, the boys living here are excellent artisans." He shrugged. "That's all."

"I...thank you for the gifts Lord Daendels." He bowed again.

"No need boy. I was just repaying a favor."

"Eve-" Lelouch raised his head, but stopped when he saw the space in front of you was empty. He looked around, but there was no trace of Daendels. He already left. Seyrun kept praying.

What a bizarre encounter.

Lelouch mentally shrugged. What was the point of criticizing the behavior of an Unquestionable? Demons weren't human, and he would be a fool to think otherwise. Didn't make dealing with them less weird though.

Like with the Gem of the Conventicle Malfeasant attuning the new stone was near instantaneous, something he guessed was made possible by the original owner transferring ownership to him. He put the Amulet around his neck and hid it under the suit.

 _'Are you done?'_ He then asked your advisor.

 **"-for we are simple servants, insignificant in your eyes. Our faith and devotion-"** Nope, he was not.

Then again,he thought, maybe it was not a bad idea. He had been helped much by Oramus, but until he could repay the Yozi with results...his honest gratitude would suffice. Sitting down in the lotus position, hands on his knees and head bowed, Lelouch started praying, putting into appropriate words his honest feelings.

It was...actually a nice feeling, relaxing even. The ex-Britannian Prince had never been very religious, even with the Empire's blatant support of the church and use of its themes to further justify the monarchy. Not that he didn't attend when appropriate, but he preferred spending time with his favorite family members and studying for the time he was going to enter the political scene.

...Now that he thought about it, the church must be tied to the Celestial Bureaucracy in some way. Which made it another target, even if he was going to do away with it either way.

At the end of his prayers Lelouch stood up, bowed a final time, turned around and walked away, posture proud and resolve reaffirmed.

He was a Champion of Hell.

Once outside the temple the Anuhles quickly moved into place around him, his personal honor guard. **"What now Boss?"** Seyrun, finally coming out of his religious fervor, asked.

 _'Lord Daendels said the demons living here in the Shattered Cities are all crafters. And since requesting something from them is within my rights, I want to see if there is any-'_

"HEY-OH!"

"Gaah!"

Startled (and deafened) by the sudden shout right in front of his face Lelouch fell down on his butt. The next few seconds were a blur as he tried to recover his bearings, vaguely aware of the Fangs moving between he and whoever surprised the ravenette. And shouting, which just made things worse.

Once his hearing was back to normal he pushed himself back on his feet with a growl. "Who the hell is-"

"Hey! How are you? I am quite good thank you very much! The weather has been quite nice though I miss Hegra's rains! Those are the most fun! Are you one of those Green Sun Princes I heard so much about? You look scrawny! Shouldn't a Prince look more im-"

The almost literal deluge of words stopped Lelouch cold, gaping like a fish. Or maybe the real reason was what he was currently looking at.

Girly. Very, very girly. It was the only possible way to describe the creature in front of him, besides ridiculous of course. It was vaguely shaped like a horse, but one drawn by a child, with pink fur and even pinker mane. The face and expression it was currently making were surprisingly human-like, too big eyes notwithstanding.

 _'What the FUCK is this?'_

 **"Woah! I've met many demons in my life, but this is just plain disturbing!"** Even Seyrun was confused.

Luckily the Yozis were on his side, because the equine's rambling was interrupted by a hovering rock hitting its head. "Owwie!"

"Pinkie Pie! That is no way to treat a Peer. It is highly unsightly and improper." A new, sophisticate voice said harshly. The owner was another similar horse-like creature, with pure white fur and purple mane.

Lelouch was honestly starting to think Oramus's presence was affecting his mind in very _bad_ ways.

"Rarity! You meanie!" The pink horse whined, enormous drops of tears pouring out of her eyes. "That hurt!"

"It was for your own good darling." The white horse replied before turning to face Lelouch and bending her front knees, head kept down. He realized it was bowing. "Greetings Honorable Peer. My name is Rarity, Seamstress of the Shattered Cities. My friend here is Pinkie Pie, Dabbler of Parties and Dreams. Please forgive her: she has an unfortunate tendency to drink new concoctions herself, and they make her... _excitable_."

Pinkie Pie nodded enthusiastically, a jaw-defying grin on her face.

 _'Oookay...in for a penny, in for a pound I suppose.'_ "I am Zero." Lelouch took a dramatic pose. "The Champion chosen by Wise Oramus to do his will where he cannot. Are you here, perhaps, on Unquestionable Daendels' orders?"

"That is correct Peer Zero." Rarity looked up. She and Pinkie Pie were females...right? "As the Chosen of our Great Lord, it is every inhabitant of the Shattered Cities' pleasure to assist you in any way we can." She said proudly. "Everything that is unique in the whole universe can be found here, for every act of creation is a prayer to our Lord."

"And dreams!" Pinkie hopped up and down. "I love Oramus's dreams!"

"A bit too much, if I can say so myself." Rarity shook her head, annoyed. "You only have to ask Peer Zero, and I will bring you to the ones best suited."

"Actually, you may help me already. You said you are a seamstress?" Lelouch asked, raising a gloved hand. "It is possible to improve this costume-"

"Mh, mh, mh." Rarity hummed loudly, suddenly inside his personal space. Her eyes critically scanned every surface of cloth. "I see, I see. Decent enough I suppose. Colors are socially acceptable, and the texture..." She sniffed haughtily. "Passable. For amateurs, that is."

"Hey!" The Fangs cried out in indignation.

"Kill _or_ sew darlings. You can't do both and expect to be good." She replied with sufficiency. "And what's this?" Lelouch's mask was ripped from the Anuhle carrying it by a telekinetic force and brought in front of Rarity's face. "I understand the need of secrecy, but it's a crime to conceal such a perfect face." She looked at Lelouch dreamily before her eyes lighted up. "Ah, I know! Follow me!"

Pushed quite adamantly from behind by a rather excited Pinkie Lelouch was brought to a nearby building. It was a strange thing, made not of basalt but of a lattice of thin brass filaments. The inside brought to mind the atelier of a tailor, exotic materials and dresses with too many limbs notwithstanding.

"Woah!" He gasped as an invisible force took off his clothes. He barely managed to put on a shadow-disguise before ending with only his boxer on. "What the hell?!"

"Hush darling. I am _working_." Rarity replied back curtly, a pair of glittery glasses on her face, before letting out with a shrill: "Pinkie! The _Calcanth!_ "

The pinkie demon pushed into place a large cauldron full of bubbling liquid. Then the cauldron opened its mouth and pulled out a long tongue, many alchemical tools resting on it.

"You may want to rest Boss." One of the Fangs offered Lelouch a chair. "I think this is going to take a long time."

 **"Yeah. Those artificer guys are all nuts."**

"...This better be worth it." He huffed before sitting down, resolving to be just a spectator for now.

Watching the white-furred demon working was... _interesting_. Rarity may look like she came straight out of a three years old girl's dreams, but she exhibited a single-minded fervor no child would be able to imagine.

She poured Calcanth on the mask together with ground indigo ice and crystal dust.

She took apart the costume without breaking a single thread, exposing every single one of them to the vapors of a chromatic large scale burned over a fire of silver bark, the flames fanned by the breath of mice made of fire.

This and much more Rarity did, praying loudly all the time while Pinkie divided her time between helping and making sacrifices to small temples.

 _'Hey. Seyrun.'_

 **"Yes?"**

 _'Do you play Chess?'_

Infernal and Unwoven Coadjutor were in the middle of their tenth mental game, the Anuhle slowly but steadily having become good at it, when Rarity finally finished. "How does it feel darling?" She asked with sparkling eyes.

Lelouch grunted, glad to finally have his real clothes back. He tugged one sleeve. "The same as before. What changed?"

"Simple! First, the mask." She slid it on Lelouch's head, the mechanism closing it smoothly. He immediately realized it was easier to see through it, almost like he was not wearing it. "Now even with your face covered you'll always be _fabulous!_ " She sighed in bliss. "Oh. And, as an afterthought, I made so it hides your identity better."

 _'Call it an afterthought.'_ "What else?"

"Sadly I couldn't make the costume itself more durable. That would have required making something new from scratch." She lifted the cape. "Instead I infused your mantle with the essence of a shield. Now you can use it to parry enemy's blows. Even a fiery daiklave will be unable to scratch it."

"Good enough. I don't plan to enter direct combat often anyway." Lelouch took out the scroll Daendels gave him. "Now I need to go. I have a meeting with an Unquestionable."

"We will hold you no longer." Rarity bowed. "May your future be full of glory and fortune Green Sun Prince."

"Bu-bye!" Pinkie Pie waved her hoof energetically.

"Yeah, bye." He left the shop and began the course back to the airship.

Once he was sufficiently afar he opened and read the scroll:

 _"Once, there was a maiden-Why in Malfeas' many secret names are we still using this shitty opening?! We don't even_ like _the Maidens! Here, read this:"_

What follow was a densely written map of numerous signs, some quite nonsensical.

 _"Show up at the time of a Tomescu's cry. Not before, and not after. I am a buuuuuuuuuuuusy woman. Notice the twelve 'u' in 'busy': that'll tell you how busy I am._

 _Remondin."_

Lelouch's eyebrow twitched.

 **"Remondin...according to my notes she's called the Misconstrued Counselor. She's the Sixth Soul of Oramus. Never heard of her before."**

 _'I can see why, if this is how she treats everyone.'_ Stepping into the airship he showed the scroll to the captain. "Can you bring me here?"

Four eyes blinked one after the other. "That's the most complicated map I have ever seen. But I think I know where it is. We can be there in two cries of Tomescu."

"Excellent. Let's go then." He sit down on his seat and leaned back. _'Where we were?'_

 **"Knight to H7."**

* * *

"This...is it?"

"Yes." Answered the guide.

Lelouch looked up at the absurdly high tower, trying to make an estimate of its height and giving up at 500 yards. "The top?"

"Yes." The guide answered again with a smile. "Lady Remondin's studio is at the very top. By her will it can be reached only through the stairs. Have a good day." She bowed before walking away.

 **"I don't think we have much of a choice Boss. We gotta walk. And we also need to be there for when the Tomescu cry. Who know how she's going to react otherwise."**

 _'I know, I know.'_ He snorted, trying to hide how much hate he had for stairs. _'It's just-'_

"Mister? Can you help me?" Someone asked. Turning to the side he saw a little girl has walked up to him, her sweet, guileless eyes staring at the young Fiend imploringly.

Lelouch blinked. "Yes? What do you need?"

"I need to go there." She pointed to the tower's top. "But it's too high! I can't do it!"

"You too?" He extended to her a hand. "I'm going there myself. Do you want to come with me?"

"I told you, I can't do it!" She shook her tiny fists before her eyes lighted up. "I know! Give me a piggyback!"

"Eh? But-"

"Pleeease?" She asked with a pleading pout, on the verge of crying.

"I...you...alright, alright." Lelouch sighed in defeat, a benevolent wry smile on his face. He dropped down on one knee. "Jump up little Miss."

"Yippee!" She cried in delight before jumping on his back. His hands held her below the knees, and her fingers with scarlet-lacquered nails grabbed his shoulders. "Go horsie, go!

"Yo-ho." Lelouch made the imitation of a horse before starting the long walk up the stairs, the Fangs following closely.

 _Half an hour later_

"Go horsie, go!

"Yo-ho."

 _One hour later_

"Go horsie, go!

"Yo...*pant*...ho..."

 _Two hours later_

"*wheeze* Lis- *pant* *pant* *gasp* ten...urgh...can I drop yo-"

"Go horsie!"

"But-"

"Go!"

"Uuugh..Yi *wheeze* ho...*pant*"

 _Much later_

Lelouch didn't open the door so much as fall on it, slamming it open with the weight of his body before falling on the ground, the girl still latched to his back.

The Tomescu in the room cried.

The Anuhles dragged him forward, up to a desk behind which a man made of mirror shards was writing on a scroll. He stopped and looked down at him. "Do you have an appointment?"

What escapes Lelouch's lips was his lungs' death rattle.

"Peer Zero, Chosen of Oramus." One Anuhle replied for him while another forced Calcanth down his throat. "Message said to be here at the Tomescu's cry."

The mirror shards man took out a list and hummed. "We were expecting you. Please go inside." He then looked at the girl and bowed. "Have a good day Lady Remondin."

"Thanks!" She chirped while the Anuhles help Lelouch back on his feet. Still weak but reenergized by the gross, but still useful substance he walked to the large doors at the other side of the hall and pushed them apart.

The interior resembled, at least in design, the classic study of a lawyer: oval of form, there was an elaborate desk in the middle while the walls were covered by shelves containing many things, from trophies to scrolls.

The little girl finally jumped down. With a big smile on her lips she looked up at Lelouch. "We got there Mister! Are you happy?"

"More like relieved." He said slowly, trying to put his breath back under control. "So. Remondin, was it? That guy sa-"

One moment.

 _Just wait a fucking moment!_

"We are in Malfeas! Why would a little girl be here?!" He gasped, pointing at her. His eyes widened. "And your name...is Remondin..!"

"Out of it already? You're good." She winked at him while pulling out her tongue. Her long, forked tongue.

 **"Wait what?! Cecelyne's infinity, why I haven't realized it before?!"** Seyrun cried out in disbelief.

Lelouch spluttered in indignation. "This-before-why didn't I...you messed with my mind!"

"If it is of any consolation, most don't snap out of it even after I clearly say to them who I am. That's why I said you're good." The Third Circle Demon in the shape of a little girl walked to the desk and sit on the chair behind it. "I am Remondin, Sixth Soul of Oramus. Some, mostly the wise ones, call me the Misconstrued Counselor. Every ruler of the Demon City has come to search my aid at least once, for I know every possible future."

She leaned forward, fingers folded under her chin. The amused, devious smile under the still sweet and guileless eyes made for a horrible contrast. "And since you're a Fiend and I am the most invested in the political scene of Malfeas amidst the Unquestionables of my Oversoul, I'm going to be your mentor from now on, Lelouch." She tilted her head. "Or do you prefer Zero?"

Swallowing the bile Lelouch put on a neutral expression and bowed. "Please address me however you wish Lady Remondin. If I may ask, was that a test?"

"Half of it."

"Half?"

"The other half is me getting a kick out of making people behave like fools."

His head snapped up, staring in disbelief at the smiling demon. "Everyone has a hobby. This is mine." Opening a compartment in the desk she took out a bowl full of creatures with the body of a toad and the face of a tiger. One of them tried to jump out.

 _Glump!_

Like lightning her tongue lashed out and ensnared the fugitive. The only thing Lelouch was able to see was a foreleg between Remondin's lips before she sucked it inside. She held up the bowl. "Want one? Merrevichs are delicious this time of the year."

The only reason he didn't puke was an empty stomach. "Your...offer is most gracious, but sadly I am not hungry."

"More for me then!" She giggled. She basically inhaled another one before putting the bowl away. "Onto business now. When are you going to leave Malfeas?"

Lelouch took a deep breath. This... _demon_ may be a sadistic teaser but for the sake of his ambitions he needed to play her game. "If everything goes well in a few days, My Lady. Just the time to see what available resources will be useful for my operations in Japan, and to discuss arrangements with the other Peers. Also, I have an appointment with Citizen Berengiere to hire the services and expand the activities of one of the cults founded by her."

"The one of Ligier? You shouldn't have problems then." She got off the chair and walked in front of the desk, a bamboo cane appearing in her hand. "In truth I don't even care what you do. But teaching I must, and teaching I will." She rapped the other palm with the cane. "What do you know of the proper etiquette when dealing with demons, especially Citizens and Unquestionables?"

"I-"

"Nothing." She interrupted him. "That's what. Show me how you bow."

Grumbling under his breath Lelouch did as told.

 _Wack!_

"Ouch!" And instantly received a whacking under his chin.

"You lower yourself too much! It must be 15° before Citizens, and 30° before Unquestionables. Try again!"

Ignoring the pain he repeated the bow.

 _Wack!_

"Ouch!"

"Don't bend your neck! What must move is your midriff! Again!"

* * *

Outside the man made of shards kept working, while the Anuhles stood on standby in case their service was suddenly required.

"YOU ARE CRAZY!"

 _Wack!_

"THAT WILL NOT DO! SAY IT PROPERLY!"

"MY BEAUTIFUL LADY, IT IS MY HUMBLE OPINION THAT YOU HAVE MUCH IN COMMON WITH ADORJAN!"

"BETTER!"

 _Wack!_

"THEN WHY DID YOU HIT ME?!"

"FOR BEING A CHEEKY LITTLE BRAT!"

 _Wack! Wack! Wack!_

"Lady Remondin seems to like your Master a lot." The shards man suddenly commented.

The Anuhles stared back with incredulity, despite not daring to back to a Citizen without being explicitly asked something.

Some of the shards morphed into the facsimile of a smile. "She's being honest. That's why."

* * *

"Crazy...Psychotic...Bitch..." Lelouch muttered while resting on a Fang's back as he and the others left the tower, his whole body hurting too much to move.

 **"Boss. Can you please stop openly badmouthing an Unquestionable before they toss us inside a Punishment Sphere?!"**

"Why? Have I not been punished enough?" He replied back, the Anuhle putting him down with his back against a wall.

 **"...You are obviously underestimating us demons Boss. Malfeas is the _capital_ of pain. What you are feeling right now is but a caress."**

"What happy thoughts you inspire." The raven-haired youth sarcastically replied before relaxing, simply waiting for the pain to go away. Even as the other demons gave him a wide berth he took the time to observe them in their daily life. Even with the vast differences between there and Earth he soon noticed familiar patterns, especially the one where everyone was moving around as if incredibly busy, but lacking enough time to do everything.

That's when he noticed it. _'Seyrun?'_

 **"Yes Boss?"**

 _'Playing music and ringing the brass bells is a vital job right?'_

 **"That's right. Without noise Adorjan comes and kills everyone. All fiefdom _s_ employ serfs to make music non-stop. It is an absolutely vital job."**

 _'Then why has that one stopped?'_

 **"...What?"**

 _'That one.'_ He looked in the direction he saw it. _'It looked at something in the distance, made a face, and then ran away. Those Angyalkae too.'_ He added, seeing a group of the harpists fleeing into a house and barricading the door.

 **"Oh shit."**

 _'Actually, I stand corrected.'_ Lelouch stood up and cast his gaze across the plaza. _'Everyone is either running away or barricading themselves inside the buildings. Why would they do that?'_

 **"Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit!"**

 _'Seyrun?'_

The Dark-Green Fangs looked at each other, shrieked and ran away, pushing away those fleeing into a building to enter them instead. "Where are you going?!" Lelouch shouted, but they just ignored him.

 **"SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT!"**

 _'Seyrun! What is hap-'_

 **"RUN! RUN BOSS! RUN RUN RUN RUN AND DON'T LOOK BACK! IT'S HERE!"**

 _'What is here?!'_

 **"THE NIGHT IS HERE!"** He let out a last scream before falling silent.

And then everything turned black. Lelouch blinked a few times, but the sudden darkness was so thick he couldn't even see his own hands. "Is something blocking Ligier?" He looked up.

It was a _dragon_.

No, it was _the shadow of a dragon_.

He was wrong, it was _the shadow of everything_.

It was **_his shadow_**.

A great serpentine figure, the hollow shadow of a great being that wasn't there flied through empty air, darkening the world below and extinguishing all light, even the green radiance of Ligier. It stretched across miles or maybe whole worlds.

Lelouch vi Britannia was **witness to darkness** unending.

 _-Frizzle-_

The hearthstone around his neck gave you a jolt, releasing a pulse of essence through Lelouch's whole body. A spike of pain pierced his eyes, making him close them instinctively.

 _-Frizzle-_

When Lelouch opened them again he was able to see. Everything was still shrouded by darkness, but he could still see his surroundings as if it was clear noon. Somewhat, it felt perfectly natural.

That's when he heard it. The sound of a great horn, playing a doleful song of melancholy and revelry for the night. The temptation to lose himself in it was strong.

Sadly he couldn't. Not then, not yet, because there was still much for him to do out. He had yet to earn the right to be happy. So Lelouch stood straight, wrapped in his cape, and waited for what he knew was coming.

Soon strange demons emerged from hidden passages and the openings into Malfeas' sewers to dance on the tune of the horn, their movements full of surprisingly human-like emotions and sentiments. He ignored them, and they ignored him as something far more fascinating made her appearance, the dark broods of the night following in her wake.

Even Lelouch couldn't help but be mesmerized by That Which Calls to the Shadows.

Erembour wore silken robes of silver, which cover flawless skin of the deepest black. Her liquid eyes shimmered like the moon, and strands of glowing white hair twinkled amid raven tresses. In her hands she carried a long silver horn curved like a mighty ram's, which she sounded with such dedication and intensity even him was moved by it, and admired her for that.

And then the unthinkable happened: she slowed down, her feet taking more time to move forward with each step until she was right in front of Lelouch. Looking at him, an unspoken invitation in her gaze.

He bowed down in the proper stance drilled into him by Remondin. "I am sorry Lady Erembour. As much as I would love to join, my duty to the Makers binds me. There is much I have still to accomplish under the light, for me to rest in the darkness."

A sound like crystalline bells. With a start he realized that the horn had stopped and Erembour was laughing, a hand covering her mouth like a demure maiden. "He was sad, you know? To lose you." She said. Both of them knew who 'He' was. "You were doomed to die, greatly changing the world in doing so. And so he loved you. But he also knew what you could be: for all of us; for the whole world. He made a decision, and helped you cast away your destiny. And so you will live, even as it saddens him."

"I was doomed to die?" Lelouch repeated, resisting the urge to look up at the sky. He closed his eyes in contemplation. "Ah, I see: the path I always wanted to take, it would have destroyed me sooner or later. Not matter if I won or lost."

She nodded in agreement. Her lips moved back towards the horn, to stop the song once again.

"I am still going to die."

She stopped. Her eyes opened, looking at him smiling ruefully.

"Even with an Exaltation, I am still mortal. Even if the chance to live forever were to be offered to me, I don't know if I would be able to take it." He closed his eyes again, feeling a deep but familiar sadness. "And who know if I will live long enough to see my dreams become a reality. Because my path hasn't changed: I just gained new responsibilities. It could even be that I will still need to die to realize my dreams, unable to see the world I wish for even for an instant."

He took a deep breath. "But whatever happens, it will be on **my** terms. Brought on by the consequences of **my** actions, and no one else. There is no more a guiding force to my life, and I am **fine** with that."

He spread his arms, face rising to the sky. When he opened his eyes again, it didn't hurt. "I am **free**. And there isn't a sweeter gift you could have given me. Maybe you don't know what to do with my gratitude. That's fine. Instead, I will repay my debt another way:

I will give you **freedom**. Just as you gave it to me."

Lelouch dropped his arms, eyes closed and head shaking with a self-depreciating smile on his lips. "Forgive me Lady Erembour, for making you waste time. Please, continue to-"

A feeling like velvet, gently pushing his chin up. Something incredibly soft pressed against the tip of the boy's nose, filling his nostrils with the sweet scents of flowers that bloom at night and wither at dawn.

Erembour pulled back, the residual feeling of her lips still scathing hot on Lelouch's flesh. She smiled. "Know that the night is your friend Lelouch. You made even me curious to see how far you will go."

The silver horn played again, and the dance resumed. Erembour left to catch up with her Oversoul, the dark broods following her. They look at Lelouch with awe in passing, but he ignored them like before. Instead he walked to a nearby rock and sit down on it, hands on his knees and gaze staring ahead.

 **"-oss?"**

 _'That was my first kiss.'_

 **"-Boss?"**

 _'Granted in was on the tip of the nose, but still.'_

 **"-ear me Boss?"**

 _'Who knew a girl's touch could feel so go-'_

 **"DO YOU HEAR ME BOSS!"**

"Gaah!" Lelouch screamed, falling down on his back. "Seyrun what the hell?!"

 **"Good, you're back. Boss, the Ebon Dragon is gone: the night ended. I have no idea how you survived all that without becoming an abomination. I though you were a goner!"**

"Eh?" Pulling himself up Lelouch realized that, yes, the light of Ligier was back. And so were the demons who were in the streets before, all staring at him like he was some sort of portent.

"Boss! You're back!" The Fangs cried happily.

 _Bam!_

His foot smashed into the face of the nearest one. "Yes, I am back. I also clearly remember some people ditching me to save their own lives." He snarled, drilling his foot even deeper.

"Eeehehe..." One Anuhle sweatdropped, chuckling nervously. "Why bring up the past? What's done is done." He spread four of his limbs. "We're all alive! Everything is okay now!"

"ADORJAN COMES!"

* * *

"I'm worried for Lelouch-sama." Kaguya suddenly said in the middle of perusing through the Equitable Market together with Milly and Leila, Rakshata and Akito having offered to act as guides.

"He has been away for awhile, hasn't he?" Milly commented, tapping a finger on her lips.

"Awhile?" Rakshata snorted. "With how big Malfeas is, even with the faster methods of travel it may take weeks to reach a certain place. Believe me, that he's taking a long time to come back isn't a sign something went wrong."

 _Boom!_

The entrance to the sewers blasted open, the metal disk sealing it landing with a loud clank. Out of the newly made passage crawled out a tired and dirty Lelouch, soon followed by the likewise proven Dark-Green Fangs.

"That one is." Akito commented quite bluntly.

"Lelouch-sama!" The young girl, followed by the blonde, ran to the rescue of the raven-haired youth. She looked him over, but found no apparent injuries. "What happened to you?"

Lelouch gasped, eyes dilated, opening and closing his mouth several time before raising a single trembling finger and saying a word that send shivers down the back of anyone listening. "Adorjan."

"Ouch." Rakshata winced before looking at the hole in the ground, intrigued. "You escaped into the sewers? Clever, if a bit unhygienic."

"There is an entire empire under it. Bigger than Europe." Another gasp. "The Rat King was waging war against the people made of nutcrackers. We fell down right in the middle of the final battle."

Akito raised an eyebrow. "Did you eat something strange?"

Lelouch giggled. "I negotiated a ceasefire and then peace between the two nations. Now they work together to farm the glowing mushrooms they previously used for illumination." Another giggle. "Which, mind you, I am preeeeetty sure are delicious but also highly hallucinogenic."

He looked at Milly and blinked. "Wow, Milly. Since when your skin is blue?"

The Slayer turned to the tanned blonde. "Doctor?"

The Indian scientist massaged her nose's bridge. "Bring him to my house. I will see what I can do."

* * *

 **Daendels, the Unfettered Heart, Fetich Soul of the Dragon Beyond the World**

Something of a legend even in the Demon Realm, the Fetich Soul of Oramus wanders the Demon City without rest, questing endlessly for a way to free his master. Many Solar Savants thought Daendels became like this after Oramus' imprisonment, but in reality Daendels has always been a free spirit. He is the Unfettered, that which is shackled by nothing but his own goals, defining itself through them. His favored form is that of the archetypal wanderer, old and wise just like Oramus, but if he has others the scrolls of the Copper Spiders don't make mention of them. Many Sorcerers summoned him in the past in hope of learning secrets from before Creation was made, and paid greatly for it: for Daendels' hatred of restrictions is second only to his guile and intelligence, and it was to the last two that many Solars fell prey to, everything they worked for going wrong at the last possible moment and the despair leaving them a shell of their former selves. No matter how many times the Solars tried, how many biddings they laid on Daendels: the Unfettered Heart always obey them; and always, his summoners only reap ruin.

However, despite his apparent malice Daendels is honorable: believing favours given and debt unpaid to be ties that shackle him he always strives to repay them quickly and fairly. Those who help the Unfettered Heart can expect to receive a favour that perfectly balance their contribution; likewise, those he willingly help must take care to pay him back, lest he takes what he owns...one way or another. This behavior makes him popular among the Citizens and Unquestionables, for they know he can always get what they need, while First Circle Demons that have something he requires don't need to fear being treated unjustly.

* * *

 **Remondin, the Misconstrued Counselor, Sixth Soul of the Dragon Beyond the World**

This puissant entity advises the rulers of the Demon City, whispering to them her endless knowledge of possible futures. She most often takes the form of a child with sweet, guileless eyes, scarlet-lacquered nails and a forked tongue; she has other shapes, but her nails and tongue mark her in every form. Sorcerers call upon Remondin to learn of perils that may yet come to pass, for she knows the stars of Creation as well as those of Malfeas, and her keen strategic mind may unravel even the most complex and subtle of dilemmas. Yet her subtlety makes her counsel perilous, for her malice may lead those who rely on her wisdom into far greater troubles. She may also call forth the shades of others' possible future selves, either to converse or to do battle on her behalf, and meeting such shades can be disquieting indeed.

* * *

Charms Database:

 **From Ebon Dragon**

 **Witness to Darkness:** You can see perfectly fine in the darkness and can recognize easily when someone is lying. Telling the truth, however, is now harder.

* * *

 **AN** : I was in a very, very trollish mood when I wrote this.


	8. Chapter 8

**Dislaimer:** I do not own Code Geass, which is propriety of Studio Sunrise, and neither do I own Exalted, which is property of White Wolf Publishing.

This fiction originally appeared as a quest-style story on the forum Sufficient Velocity. As such do not be confused by the strange structure.

* * *

 **Fiendish Advent - Final Act**

{●}

Some medical attention, a relaxing bath, and twelve hours of sleep later and Lelouch was back into perfect form. _'That never happened.'_

 **"What never happened Boss?"**

 _'Good.'_ He fixed his clothes and left the palace, determined to make up for the wasted time.

"Lelouch-sama!"

Or, maybe, to deal with an excitable fourteen year old first. "Hello Kaguya-san. Sorry for making you and the others worry."

"Think nothing of it. I am just glad you're okay now." She smiled cutely. "Are you free to talk now? If not I can come later."

"No, I am free...save for one thing." He held up a scroll he received a few minutes before. "I have arranged a meeting with Citizen Berengiere, to discuss obtaining the services of a cult founded by her for my organization, and help them expand their activities. There isn't a fixed date so maybe-"

"Oh! In that case if you want I can come with you. Like I said to Lord Ligier I am organizing all the cults of Japan into a great organization. This way we can speed up things."

"I would be delighted by your company." Lelouch smiled before snapping his fingers. "Lemmun."

"Yes Master?" The Naneke instantly replied, moving from his initial position farther behind the Fiend to his side in a second.

"Write down this message." Lelouch dictated, and the demon faithfully copied it on scroll. "Have one of the faster messengers bring it to Lady Berengiere, and tell me immediately if there are any concerns about Lady Kaguya's presence."

"It will be done!" Lemmun replied with a deep bow before darting away.

"You already have a most loyal follower." Kaguya clapped her hands in delight. "As expected of Lelouch-sama!"

"Yes...except he seems to have decided that all on his own." He mumbled under his breath before asking the raven-haired girl a question. "Do you have a preferred method of transportation?"

"If we are meeting with a Citizen, I believe using a palanquin is a must." She replied instantly.

Five minutes later both Infernals were on board a palanquin carried by six Angyalkae with their prehensile hair while they played the Harp of Time. Quite luckily Berengiere's residence was situated on the same layer of the Conventicle Malfeasant.

"I never apologized." Lelouch said suddenly, surprising Kaguya who was seated in front of him.

"For what?"

"That day in the forest, when we first met." He internally sighed: if Kaguya had forgot he would have kept silent, but since she clearly remembered... "I meant what I said. But I was unnecessarily harsh." He looked out at the street. "I was also a somewhat bitter child, but that's not an excuse."

"I see. Then I can tell you that you have nothing to apologize for Lelouch-sama." She replied, smiling sweetly. "Harsh you may have been, it was the lesson that made me what I am today: not just the heir to the Sumeragi family, but myself. I am Kaguya Sumeragi, and I am my own person." Her expression turned soft. "You were the first person to treat me as such. For that, I am very grateful."

"Kaguya..." Lelouch was very surprised at the younger girl's level of maturity. Maybe...maybe he didn't make a mistake that time. "Are you sure you're younger than me?" He said with sarcasm.

"Do no worry Lelouch-sama." Her smile shined like the sun. "I am more than willing to wait a few years to make our union official!"

"Wait, what?" He blinked in confusion. "Didn't we agree to enter the same coven already?"

She just kept smiling, looking to all the world like the perfect picture of class and elegance.

 _'Seyrun?'_

 **"Drawing a blank here Boss."**

* * *

Their destination was a large patch of barren land, closed off by large bone-white walls and gates. Each of them was etched with scenes of fights and battles, phrases in Old Realm all telling how it was sacred ground and must not be disturbed.

There was a single building close to it: a large villa of crimson and purple right in the center of the only road leading to the boneyard. Music and chants came from it, Angyalkae and other demons skilled at singing present all around the premise.

They were received at the entrance by a group of Neomah and Noresores and escorted inside.

When they saw her the mistress of the house was indulging herself, singing on a podium while an orchestra played behind her. At the front of a crowd of demons kept time by clapping.

The Weaver of Voices was beautiful in form, with luscious curves beneath crimson-veined clothing that murmured in a thousand quiet voices rather than rustling as cloth does. Her fingers were delicately shaped into rending points, the veil she wore hinting at a face both demure and tempting.

 **"Remember Boss, don't ask what's behind that veil. Beside, it has nothing to do with what you have come here today for, right?"**

Lelouch mentally grunted in agreement. He could safely admit he **was** curious...but for the sake of necessity he could also ignore such a minor urge.

"That's all for today dears." Berengiere said at the song's end amidst the cheers. "Now go back to work. There is much left to do."

Without further encouragement the demons scattered to do their duty, while the orchestra changed melody and kept playing. Berengiere descended the podium, hastening her steps when she caught sight of the two Exalts. "Ah! Dear guests!" She exclaimed excitedly. "Welcome to my abode."

""May joy and fortune shine upon you Lady Berengiere."" Lelouch and Kaguya both said, bowing. "I am Green Sun Prince Zero, Chosen of Wise Oramus."

"And I am Green Sun Princess Kaguya Sumeragi, Chosen of Noble Szoreny." Kaguya continued. "Thanks for having me today."

"I always have time for visitors. Come, let's have some refreshment."

Said 'refreshment' turned out to be tea and snacks. Even if said tea had a strong metallic aftertaste, and the snacks while tasting sweet lacked most of Earth's common ingredients in their preparation. What was used to replace them...Lelouch prefered to not know.

"Lady Berengiere." He began after making sure to consume only the strictly necessary to keep up etiquette. "If it pleases you, I would like to talk about the reasons for my visit."

"Yes, yes." She said quickly, as if remembering it just now. "It was about the cult of...of..."

"The Court of the Black Jade Emperor, Mistress." A butler helpfully suggested.

"Ah yes yes yes. Now I remember!" She put the tips of her nails together. "Goodness, there are so many. Apparently I am, for some reason, greatly suitable for raising cults so I must work hard. Something about a 'good impression'." She tilted her head. "Which is strange because my soul-sister Sondok also has great success among mortals. And while dear Sondok has many good qualities, it cannot be honestly said she is...what was called?" She put a finger on her veil, where the lips should be. "A people's person?"

Seyrun laughed harshly. **"The Guardian of Ligier's treasures? I would be amazed to find someone below an Unquestionable that doesn't fear her!"**

"I am sure...that the mortals that venerate Lady Sondok are all worthy individuals that recognize and admire said good qualities." Lelouch said diplomatically.

"Of course, of course! My dear soul-sister is very good at what she does." Berengiere nodded quickly. "Where we were? Oh yes, the cult. You said you want to request their services?"

"That's correct. With your consent of course." He replied respectfully. "I am creating a group of fighters for a purpose linked to the Reclamation, and I am in need of a civilian branch to handle the more mundane matters, and also expand recruitment among those who has yet to see the truth. Naturally I am not asking this for free: if there is something I can do for you in exchange, Lady Berengiere, you only have to ask."

"So polite!" Berengiere giggled politely. "There is no need to be so stiff dear, I am quite happy to serve the Reclamation however I can." She paused and took a long sip of tea before setting down the cup. "That said, I am sure you know of my craft, my pride and joy." She put her hand together. "Something that's best done while in Creation. As such, as long as the new activities of my believers don't interfere with the time they can dedicate summoning me and my assistants, I have no objections."

"Of course Lady Berengiere. It's but a trivial matter to fix." He bowed. "And if it would please you, I can arrange for _extending_ said time. Something that would become more than possible with the swelling of our ranks. I was also given the impression there is a high demand for the material that in Creation is called Sakuradite?"

"Ah! Yes yes yes!" She clapped her hands excitedly. "Indeed! A strange material this 'sakuradite' is: similar to Jade, but volatile and it's truly magical only when worked with external Essence." She leaned forward. "It has all sort of INTERESTING effects when used in weaving."

"It does?"

"Yes! Just forty cries of Tomescu ago I exploded."

Silence.

"The cloth exploded. Not me." She took another sip of tea. "It's my personal belief that it's the result of Pasiap and Hesiesh running closer to each other than before. A minority think it's a Sidereal plot to make Daana'd and the spirit courts of Water recede to free up more land, but there is always someone who cries 'Sidereal plot!' at every strange happening."

Silence.

She tilted her head. "Where I was?"

Lelouch cleared her throat. "The Sakuradite Lady Berengiere. If it is what you desire, I can arrange to have suitable quantities of it delivered to you."

"And I can help." Kaguya interjected. "Since mine is one of the families trusted with its extraction. Most of what can be safely smuggled under Britannia's nose will be needed for Peer Zero's army, but I am sure we can spare enough for your needs."

"Sublime news!" She exclaimed happily. Then she abruptly turned pensive. "Peer Kaguya, if I remember right you are working to gather all the cults in Japan under a sole organization? If the Makers so desire who I am to oppose it? Yet, the efforts of the Sidereals, and through them the Dragonblooded, to stomp down such cults have always been strong. Is it wise to leave trails that can be exploited to make such tasks easier?"

"You raise a good point, Lady Berengiere." Kaguya admitted, still smiling. "That's why such efforts are half-way complete, and will remain so until we are ready."

Both Lelouch and the demon looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"In one word: compartmentalization." She began to explain. "Each cult has it own internal structure. They have contacts with a single agent of the organization to which they defer to, and only that. But there are no fixed meetings: the agent shows up when needed, and the cultists have no way of contacting him, though he shows up at least once a month. By the same token each agent handles a single cult, and they meet their superiors only when the latter contact them. Those superiors only have data about a certain number of cults, other groups handling the rest. All those groups then answer to me, through intermediaries that cannot be traced to me." She smile grew. "Each and every one of those nodes is unaware of the others. Some know they exist, but nothing more. The only one who knows of the whole web is myself. It's not a perfect system. It was not designed that way. But it will hold until Japan is free from Britannia's control, at which point we will connect all nodes and transform the system into Japan's official religion. Until then, no destruction of a single cell will endanger the whole structure."

"Brilliant!" Berengiere clapped, stealing the words out of Lelouch's mouth. "This is, indeed, the cleverness of a true Exalt! But wait: Japan's official religion?"

Lelouch and Kaguya shared a look before explaining his plan.

The reaction-

"My! How bold! If Lord Ligier approves so do I! Quick, get me quill and scroll: we must finalize this contract!"

-Was positive.

* * *

"Here you are." Rakshata was there to greet Lelouch and Kaguya at their return, together with Akito, Milly and Leila. "By your face, I guess everything turned alright?"

"I would say so. Wait, let me rephrase that: I definitely say so." Lelouch raised the scroll with the official contract with Berengiere, surveyed and blessed by a priest of Cecelyne, before giving it to Kaguya to keep. "Since everyone is here, I presume something happened?"

"Not quite." The Defiler replied. "I just thought it was time to introduce you to Lillun."

 _Ten minutes later_

"Do you know how, normally, at the death of their bearers Celestial Exaltations fly back to Yu-shan in the cabinet of Lytek, the God of Exaltations, to be purified?" Rakshata explained after the six of them board the wagon. "Well, obviously an alternate system to keep the Infernal Exhalations here in Hell was needed. And since our dear Masters have a habit of creating a specifically-made demon when a new issue pops up instead of using machines, they did the same."

"Lillun is a Behemoth." Akito continued. "A unique, special spiritual creature who looks like a human."

"Her official title is 'Phylactery Womb', since she holds the fifty Exaltations of the Green Sun Princes within herself." Rakshata resumed. "But she's mostly known as the 'Coryphee of Hope'. She's a living, thinking control mechanism."

 **"That's the truth Boss. I personally meet her when she put your Exaltations inside me. It was just a touch: the real challenge was keeping it contained until I could meet you."**

 _'I see. Well, I suppose this fits the themes of Malfeas I've seen far. What kind of person is Lillun?'_

 **"...It was a brief meeting. She just smiled and put the supermote inside me. Then she said 'May the blessing of the Yozi be with you'. After that I was escorted away."**

"Though she insists us Infernals call her 'Big Sister'." Akito grumped.

"It would be a pleasure to meet her." Kaguya smiled. "I assume we are heading to her residence?"

"I wouldn't call the Basilica of Carousel Whimsy a residence, but yeah."

Only later, when they reached their destination, did Lelouch understand Rakshata's words.

The Celebration Eternal.

A lavish, incredibly huge party that has been ongoing for several years, and was intended to keep going for eternity. Upon entering the truly massive open-air stadium that was the Basilica of Carousel Whimsy they were meet with the spectacle of thousands of demons celebrating in what was probably the mother of all parties.

Milly's shrill of pure delight cemented that impression.

And in the center of it was Lillun herself: externally she looked like a young woman around her twenties, hair, clothes, lips and everything else save for rosy skin was green. She danced barefoot with grace and elegance, the other demons giving her space while following her pirouettes around the place.

She was a divine dancer. She was also, according to Lelouch's Essence sight, an absolute monster that rivaled an Unquestionable. If the Yozi intended this to be a safeguard mechanism, they did extremely well.

Lillun kept her eyes closed, and yet she slowly moved towards the Infernal group's direction until she was right in front of them. Then she opened her eyes, revealing cherry-red pupils radiating unbridled happiness. She cupped Akito's cheeks and gave him a chaste kiss on the forehead before moving to do the same to the others. When done she took a step back and spoke:

"In you resides the hopes of the Demon Race."

Then she left, rejoining the party she was queen of.

Quite a woman of few words.

"Lelouch." "Lelouch-sama."

Milly and Kaguya both offered Lelouch a hand.

""May I have this dance?""

He weighed pros and cons. "As long as I am not forced to drink something suspicious, sure."

* * *

The following two days, or four cries of Tomescu, Lelouch finalized the details of his collaboration with the rest of his Coven. Thanks to Kaguya's open support his problems with money were gone, though he wasn't going to abuse that or her faith.

Rakshata needed to finish a couple of projects and assembled her team before she could join him, but she was ready to provide the Black Knights with every technology they would need.

Kaguya took upon herself the duty to contact General Gene Smilas and convince him to send the W-0 unit to Japan. That would be tricky to handle, but Lelouch was confident she could do so easily.

And then it happened. Ligier came, announced this time, so the Infernal Exalts had all the time to prepare and greet him properly. "I see you are ready to depart." He commented.

"That is exactly so, Lord Ligier." Lelouch replied. "We will probably not able to return for months. But I am confident our junior Peers will prove adequate replacements while we do our own parts."

"Let's hope so, shall we?" The demon smiled, putting his hands together, before his gaze fell on the raven-haired youth. "But it's not to say goodbye that I am here.

Lelouch Vi Britannia. My Oversoul wishes to speak with you."

That day Lelouch discovered Seyrun's screams of terror could be quite girly when sufficiently motivated.

"...If I may ask, Lord Ligier." It was only later, when he followed the Green Sun of Malfeas down a subterranean structure, that Lelouch found the courage to speak. "Am I allowed to know the reason for this...meeting?"

"You may." He replied simply, sounding like the whole ordeal was common routine. "Simply put, you managed to catch the interest of the King, Lelouch Vi Britannia. Not in a bad way, so you can relax." He turned his head minutely to the side. "But, depending on how the conversation goes, you may need medical attention at the end. Do not worry though, for I know many spells that can help and I will magnanimously use them if necessary."

Seyrun's whimpers got stronger. "How very generous of you my Lord." Lelouch bowed, too nervous to use any kind of sarcastic tone.

"Ah, here we are." Ligier stopped in front of an ornate brass door. "This place is saturated in mine and the whole Demon City's Essence. With a small push you will be able to contact my Oversoul's consciousness." He opened the door, green vapor coming out in waves, before stepping aside to clear the passage. "Do not worry if what you are going to experience will be confounding. Yozis do not think like measly mortals...what you will get is just a small shard that your mind will struggle to comprehend."

"Thank you for the warning." The Fiend gulped before walking inside.

"If it may help, I hope you return." Ligier said before closing the door. "I really want to see that plan of yours made a reality."

Then everything turned **_green_.**

* * *

"Then I don't want to be your heir!" You shout at your father, too angry at his complete lack of concern over your mother's death and Nunnally's crippling to care. The other nobles gasp and whisper, but you ignore them. "I've had enough of the fighting and the scheming over who will succeed you!"

You are throwing away your title, but at this point it's more of a libera-

"You are dead." The Emperor's cruel words cut through your mind like a blade. "You've been dead from the moment you were born. Who gave you the clothes you wear? Your home, your food, your very life! All of those, I have given to you! In short, you have never actually lived! And yet you dare to speak such foolishness to me?!"

He abruptly stands up from the throne, his intimidating frame and gelid cold eyes causing you to fall down on your ass.

"Lelouch!" Charles Zi Britannia's voice booms. "As you are dead, you have no rights. I am sending you and Nunnally to Japan."

Japan?

 _Fire_

 _Chaos_

 _Blood_

 _The sound of machine guns and explosions never stop never stop never stop never stop neverstopneverstopneverstopneverstopneverstopneverstop_

"As prince and princess, you will serve as bargain-"

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" You scream, the eyes of everyone widening as they step back from the sheer amount of _hate_ in your words. You push yourself up, every trace of fear evaporating as unbearable heat spread from the center of your chest through your whole body. "IF YOU WANT TO KILL ME WHY DON'T YOU JUST PUT A GUN TO MY HEAD AND PULL THE TRIGGER?!"

"You dare throw a tem-"

"SHUT UP!" Were you of clearer mind, you would have realized your voice couldn't possibly come from a nine years old child. "SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP! SHE WAS YOUR WIFE YOU BASTARD! SHE HAD MORE LOYALTY FOR YOU IN HER PINKIE THAN ALL THESE VIPERS HERE PUT TOGETHER! AND NOT ONLY DID YOU LET HER BE KILLED AND HER DAUGHTER CRIPPLED, YOU EVEN LET THE CULPRIT GO!"

The guards roughly restrain you and put a hand over your mouth, but you bite it. When he pulls it away in pain you deliver a last line. "WHAT KIND OF KING ARE YOU?!"

 _A FAKE_

The guards catch fire. The nobles watching catch fire. Even the Emperor catches fire. You stare there dumbfounded, watching with sick fascination as they are quickly burned to ashes by the green fire...all the while screaming in excruciating pain.

 _BECAUSE_

The hall expands, growing impossibly fast, concrete and tiles being replaced by brass and basalt.

 _THERE IS ONLY ONE TRUE KING!_

Until you are in the middle of a cyclopean plaza surrounded by buildings so high you can't see the tops.

Every window like an eye staring at you with a pupil of baleful green fire.

"M-Malfeas..." You tremble, finally realizing the reality of the situation. You fall down on one knee and bow.

 _I AM_

 _MORTAL. EVEN AMONG YOUR PATHETIC RACE, YOU ARE WEAK_

 _YET YOU SPEAK OF STEALING CREATION BACK FROM THE TRAITOROUS GODS AND GIVING IT BACK TO ITS RIGHTFUL RULERS_

 _WHERE DOES SUCH CONFIDENCE COME FROM?_

Your throat is dry, words coming out like bloody nails. Yet you persevere. "I...have no other choice."

You take Malfeas' silence as a sign to continue. "It's true: I was weak. I had a weak body and no power I could call my own. I had to depend on the kindness of others, and every day I feared that those who have the power to strip away my freedom would find me and cast me back in the role of a puppet.

I hate the Emperor so much. And yet I hate myself so much more, for being unable to do anything against him. For being a weakling that had no choice but obey him.

Failure tasted like acid and ashes on my tongue."

Your hands clench so hard blood start to drip down from them. Your teeth grind against one another.

"But now, I have power! Even if it was given to me, it's still power! I can make my own choices now! I can think, I can decide for myself! I can make any miserable rabble that dare think they could order me around learn how much wrong they are!"

You raise your hand, clench it into a fist and then...punch the ground.

"I can destroy Britannia!"

Again.

"I can stand up to Charles Zi Britannia and crush him under my foot!"

Again.

"I can show the Dragonblooded who exactly their true masters are!"

Again. Your hand shatter.

"I can show the Lunars there is only one side they can choose, and the rest is a lie!"

Again. Cracks spread throughout your bones.

"I can tear apart the Sidereals' petty schemes and teach them what being a puppet in someone else's hands feels like!"

Again. Again. Again. Blood sprays your eyes.

"I can cast down the Underworld and those pathetic relics of a bygone era that dare call themselves Deathlords!"

Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again.

"I can tear out the Gods' spines! Make them realize what pathetic, corrupted wenches they are!"

Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. _Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again!_

"AND WHEN SOL INVICTUS HIMSELF TELLS ME TO REPENT, I WILL SPIT IN HIS FACE AND TEAR OUT HIS HEART, TO SEE EXACTLY HOW _BLACK_ IT REALLY IS!"

The ground shatters.

"I CANNOT STOP! NOT UNTIL ALL MY ENEMIES ARE DEAD! ONLY THEN I WILL BE ABLE TO REALLY _LIVE!"_

And the world _laughs_.

 _HOW AMUSING. ONLY YOUR WILL IS PUSHING YOU FORWARD_

 _YET YOUR DESIRES ARE RIGHTFUL_

 _YOU ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH_

 _THAT CAN BE REMEDIED_

Everything turns still...

Before your very **_hate_** ignite with the force of a _**wrathful sun**_.

* * *

The door was blasted off of its hinges, melting and evaporating before it could even come close to touching Ligier. The Fetich of the Demon City stared calmly ahead, eyes blazing and hands folded behind his back as boiling green vapor pours out of the entrance.

One hand wrapped in black emerged and grabbed one side of the door.

Another hand emerged and grabbed the other side.

Finally, with a mighty push Lelouch Vi Britannia stepped out of the room, drenched in sweat.

And flickers of hateful green fires emanating from his eyes.

"How did it go?" Ligier asked with a small smile.

"The King...is most wise." He rasped out.

Then he snarled. "He reminded me that, before the world can be mended, the culprits must _pay_."

"Most wise indeed. As the one who is closer to him, let me impart another lesson." Ligier raised his head, smile morphing into a grin. "The best kind of hate...is the one that is colder than ice, but burns stronger than acid."

Lelouch nodded.

 **"I AM ALIVEEEEEE!"**

 _'Oh? Seyrun? Where were you?'_

 **"HIDING MY ASS OUT! CAN WE PLEASE GO BACK TO CREATION? PLEASE? PLEASEEEEE!"**

* * *

"Aaaah. Home, sweet home." Lelouch sighed contently at the sight of Ashford Academy at night, illuminated by a pale moon. Eager to see Nunnaly again he walked quickly to his home, passed by the shrine with his photo surrounded by candles and reached the doorkno-

 _CRASH!_

The sound of something breaking startled Nunnaly, while C.C. just kept drinking the soup, wishing it was pizza.

The door was slammed open with a kick. Lelouch was standing in the doorway, a photo between his teeth and murder in his eyes, while behind him flames devoured the shrine.

"Welcome back Lelouch." C.C. greeted him with a small grin.

 _'She let it happen._

 _She let it happen._

 _Ooh, she is so gonna pay!'_

* * *

"Glad to have you back pal!" Rivalz slapped Lelouch's back. "Did you enjoy your vacation?"

"I was securing my future Rivalz. Hardly a vacation." He rolled his eyes. "Also, I will need your help this afternoon."

"Ooh? Did you find another fat, rich noble to wring out of all his money?"

"No. We need to destroy my fan club before it becomes a real cult and starts stealing my clothes."

"I see-Wait what?!

He opened the door to the classroom and stepped inside.

"Lelouch?!"

 _'This voice-!'_

The young Fiend turned around, but could not believe his eyes.

Judging from his face, Suzaku could not believe his eyes too.

* * *

 _"Your Highness, we are reaching position."_

Cornelia turned her gaze to the left, to look at the screen where Andreas Darlton, her loyal subordinate, opened a communication channel. She activated the Factsphere. "So this is the base of Qazvin." At least this one looked like a proper military base, instead of being a large palace defended by ill-positioned troops. "Took long enough."

 _"Forgive me My Lady."_ Her Knight, Guilford, appeared on another channel. _"If only we had not been taken by surprise, we could have got here sooner."_

"There is no need to apologize, Guilford." Cornelia slightly chastised him. "So they have developed anti-Knightmare weapons. It was bound to happen one day." She slammed a hand on the cockpit's wall. "But Britannia's strength is not these machines. Britannia's strength is its men! Remember this: we will win not because of our weapons, but because we are superior to these barbarians!"

 _""Yes, Your Highness!""_ Darlton and Guilford both shouted. After that the former continued: _"Your Highness, can I ask you something?"_

"What is it?"

 _"It's about Princess Euphemia. Was it wise to-"_

"I thought we had already discussed this." Cornelia interrupted harshly before letting out a soft sigh. "She'll be fine. if anything, Clovis's newfound paranoia will actually help to keep both of them fine. At least until I can get a transfer there."

 _"With all due respect, I find difficult to imagine a full faction of nobles committing high treason by collaborating with Numbers, all for stealing a mysterious 'something' Prince Clovis refuses to even talk about."_

Cornelia stood silent. She too had the same thoughts, but she couldn't just say them out loud. She couldn't just say that in her mind Clovis, who until now she considered a much better politician than her, has cracked under the pressure. It would make a member of the Royal family seems weak, no matter how justified. "Time's up." She instead announced. "There is a battery of Bamides coming towards us. Send the tanks first: once they start fighting we will move forward to engage them at close range."

 _""Yes, Your Highness!""_

The battle began just as Cornelia said: the MEF Bamides and the Britannian tanks started exchanging fire, while Cornelia and her unit of Gloucesters waited behind the dunes for the right moment.

Cornelia opened another communication channel. "Barnes!"

Major Adam Barnes appeared on the screen. _"My Lady!"_ He performed a military salute. _"Orders?"_

"Use your sniper rifle to see if there are any troops with Gauss weapons nearby."

 _"Yes!"_ The screen went dark. Five minutes later the Major reported. " _Negative Your Highness. The only ones I can see are all inside the base. I think they didn't expected to see Knightmares in this battle, so they are keeping them in reserve."_

"Fools." Cornelia smirked, greatly anticipating the glorious victory waiting for her. "All troops! Forward!"

At Cornelia's command she and the rest of the Gloucesters left their hiding place and entered the battlefield. They zoomed past the tanks, easily evading the Bamides' slow cannons-

 _BOOOM!_

Only for many explosions to go off while they were halfway there, taking out a solid chuck of Cornelia's forces.

 _"My Lady! Mines!"_ Guilford moved in front of Cornelia's Gloucester to protect her.

"Dirty cowards!" She snarled. "But they cannot hide from the Factspheres! Darlton!"

 _"At once!"_ The Factsphere of the aged general's Gloucester opened, but before it could start to analyze the terrain a shot takes out the Frame's head. _"What?!"_

"Tempest Frame Destroyers at twelve o'clock! They were hiding behind the Bamides!" Guilford shouted in a panic.

"What did you say?!" Cornelia roared before contacting Barnes, who was completely calm despite the grim situation. "Barnes! You said there were no Gauss-equipped troops nearby!"

 _"Oh, that."_ Barnes pushe down the hat to cover his eyes. _"Sorry, I lied."_

"You filthy traitor! I'll have you court-martialed for this!"

 _"I don't think so."_

He looked up, revealing a large smirk and a glowing, silver crescent moon on his forehead. _"Unless, of course, Britannia stooped so low as to court-martial even the dead."_

Cornelia's eyes widened in shock before she snarled, the commands shattering as she clenched her fire-covered hands. "Lunar!"

 _"Enjoy your first defeat, Dragoness."_ He said before turning off the channel.

* * *

"Cornelia's forces are retreating!" At the announcement many inside the MEF center of command rejoiced.

"We did it!"

"We defeated the Witch of Britannia!"

"Not yet!" A strong, compelling voice drowned out the rest. The one who spoke was a tall, severe man who was pointing forward his open right palm, an aura of golden light suffusing his body while an eight-pointed sun glowed on his forehead. "We delivered a great blow, but what we saw today is far from Britannia's full might! That's why we must stand resolute! But have no fear! Allah is with us!"

""Allah is with us!"" The various officials repeate as one. Who could deny their statement, they thought, when in front of them was an undeniable proof in the form of the very man who the Prophet chose as his vanguard, endowing him with divine power? ""Long live General Munim Riad!""

Just outside the room a man was leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his bare chest and small horns coming out of his silver hair. Hearing what the soldiers were shouting he smiled, revealing sharp canines.

"Allah? Please. Since the Golden Age, this world has belonged to us Exalts. And soon, we will reclaim what's ours."

He looked down, frowning, his fingers slowly caressing the ancient moonsilver belt around his waist.

"Just you wait Teacher. I will show you that, even if I have his Exaltation, I am not Ma-Ha-Suchi!"

* * *

She hummed happily as she worked, the gentle tune helping her keep her focus and ignore the shadows constantly flitting around the room. They were always darting in and whispering, trying to distract her with the most intimate secrets of the Void or warnings about why she should avoid hairdryers, but she'd gotten good at blocking them out when she didn't need them or didn't want them.

Slowly, carefully, she stripped off another strand and began teasing it into place alongside the countless others she'd already threaded. Fitting the dense mesh together like this took a long time- certainly a lot longer than just slapping it in as a single mass- but in her opinion the results were worth it, and her little friend the talking fly agreed.

Sticking her tongue out of the side her mouth in concentration, she cut the strand down to size before gently finishing dabbing it into place, then sealing it in with a flare of cold, necrotic essence. Reaching back, she took another strand and repeated the process again. And again. And again. Building the structure, strand by stran-

-her grasping fingers closed on nothing, and she frowned. Looking up from her work, she clicked her tongue in annoyance as she saw that she'd run out of strands. "Tooo hasty... tooooo quick..." Her watch hissed, taunting her. A quick smack against the metal frame she was working on shut it up, however, and left her free to focus on accessing more of her supply.

Turning the platform her hunk of flesh was strapped onto, she picked up a thin-bladed flaying knife and began carefully carving the skin off its remaining unharvested limb. Darkness flitted over it momentarily as she worked, a pattern only she could see that whispered directions in her mind, revealing the best way to remove the skin without harming the valuable muscle beneath, and she silently whispered a thank you in appreciation.

Before long she'd stripped every last inch of unwanted flesh from the meat's limb, so she set down her blade and began extracting fleshy strands once more. Some of them leered at her, begging her not to touch them, but she easily ignored the distraction and carried on working.

Under her swift yet sure movements, it wasn't long before there was nothing left but a length of stripped bone, barely held together by the remaining ligaments. Sighing, she set down her tools and looked regretfully at the body. It was such a shame, going through such high quality material so quickly, but it was unfortunately inevitable.

Still, at least she could get one more use out of this one.

Carefully, she undid the restraints that had been holding the meat's chest down. It tried to move the instant she released it, perhaps to fight back, or perhaps to flee or protest, but with its limbs stripped bare all it achieved was a few spasmodic jerks. Still, the display was enough to make her frown, before she slapped it across the face.

"You've been such a good puppet..." She said, before bringing a hand up to her mouth to hide a giggle. "And you've got such a good fate left to you. Don't spoil it now~"

Weak and feeble groans emerged from behind the flesh's gag in response to her words, but she ignored them. Instead, her hand began to paradoxically glow with darkness, a cold shadow that seemed to drink and devour the light around it. Pressing her fingers together into a knife hand, she carefully touched the tips of her fingers against its chest and slowly traced a large circle on it, flesh and bone rotting in the wake of her touch.

As she brought her fingers back around to where she'd first started cutting the dark aura around her hand faded. Digging the fingers of both hands into the groove she'd just carved, she grimaced and began straining, pulling with all her might. For several seconds nothing happened, but then she lurched back as without warning its entire chest and ribcage broke off with a sickening crack.

Tossing the worthless chunk of flesh and bone off to one side, she began digging into the now-exposed organs of the writhing lump of meat before her with a frown on her face. After several seconds, however, it stopped moving and her frown turned to a smile as she yanked something deep red from the depths of its chest.

Turning the heart over in her hands, she spent the next several seconds examining it closely before bringing it up to her face and giving a quick, careful lick.

"Perfect." She pronounced, whilst the heart giggled from the tickling touch of her tongue. "Absolutely flawless."

"Hehe, too kind, you are, too kind." The heart replied, blushing bashfully at her comment. Petting it friendlily, eliciting another giggle in the process, she carefully carried it over to the metal frame and set it within a special slot. A few moments work had it attached to several lengths of metal tubing, and then she closed the hatch on it.

"Bye bye." She muttered as the heart disappeared behind the grey metal. After taking a moment to lick her hands clean, she walked over to a button by the now useless flesh and smacked it, causing the platform she was on to immediately start descending. And as it did, she considered the other flesh sacks restrained down below; which one would be the most suitable to use next? As she pondered the question, however, the shadows answered her question for her. Darkness flitted around the smallest of the remaining meat sources, forming into shapes and images that showed her exactly how to incorporate it into her design.

"Wonderful~" She smiled, thankful once again for the guidance and help of her masters as she stepped off the platform and began making her way over to her newest source of useful flesh.

Corporal Carmine whimpered as the happily smiling, blond haired, bloody-eyed woman approached him. He'd seen what she'd done to his comrades, and wasn't fooled by her pleasant expression; he knew all too well what fate awaited him. Desperately, he began struggling against the restraints that held him, panicked prayers to whatever god or goddess might be listening working their way past his gag as spluttered screams. Pleas for mercy, rescue... even simply a swift death rather than the torture the woman would put him through.

If any of them heard, none answered.

* * *

Charms Database:

 **From Oramus**

 **Dual Gaze Paradox:** Open your eyes to the Beyond and see magic flowing through the world! But be careful, because now staring into your eyes can be...hypnotic.

* * *

 **AN** : Good thing I chose M rating.


	9. Chapter 9

**Dislaimer:** I do not own Code Geass, which is propriety of Studio Sunrise, and neither do I own Exalted, which is property of White Wolf Publishing.

This fiction originally appeared as a quest-style story on the forum Sufficient Velocity. As such do not be confused by the strange structure.

* * *

 **Q &A:**

Faraway-R:

(THE SEVENFOLD SCRIPTURE): thanks for the idea. I ended up using a different version due to game balance, but you still proposed it first.

(Anja? As in, little servant girl who got taken over by Marianne back in canon?): nope. That is Anya, Anya Alstreim. Anja is a character from Exalted.

(Pinkie Pie and Rarity? Oh my!): like I said, I was in a serious trollish mode.

(On a side note... I wonder if Fiend's anti-oath power can withold Yozi oath breaking from giving a backlash. Or, alternately, prevent someone with Essence 10 who used Oath-Shattering Strike on Yozi from suffering backlash (the capstone of Infernal Monster Style). The first one I think is impossible, but the second...): this is an interesting intellectual exercise.

Ressan:

(Nice chapter. And wow, Kaguya got an upgrade, now she has brainwashed minions): it's not quite brainwashing. What it happened, is that they developed a feeling of devotion towards Kaguya. Semantics I know, but one is more subtle.

Inheritance1990:

(I really like your interpritation of Lelouch. Don't get me wrong, I loved canon Lelouch as well, but yours seems to have a purpose that canon Lelouch lacked without Nunnally. At least he lacked it up until the final few episodes, which is where I believe his character had more growth than all 45 episodes that came before): I see that as a natural reaction. Now that he learned the stakes are much higher than a simple rebellion against Britannia, Lelouch has committed himself to a course of action that encompass the future of the whole world. Indeed, just like it happened when he became Emperor of Britannia.

* * *

 **AN:** Most of the following Omakes where made by the members in the SV thread. Believe it or not, they managed to make 45 Green Sun Princes to fill a full Althing Infernals. It's quite the circus!

* * *

 **Omakes**

{●}

 **PREMISE**  
 **Part 1 of 3**

Rakshata frowned as she stared into the glowing screen of her computer comparing two numbers. One was the projected final cost of her Gekka Knightmare design, the other was the absolute maximum that the former could be before becoming too expensive for India to deploy in meaningful numbers. The first was still larger, but by a noticeably smaller amount than it had been last month. This was especially troubling since she'd made several breakthroughs that had significantly reduced the project's projected cost. At this rate, even if she finalized her design tomorrow, by the time India was ready to produce it they wouldn't be able to afford to field more than a handful.

A year ago she would have simply shrugged and gone back to work, assuming the politics around her budget would clear up once her design proved itself successful. A year ago she would have been a fool. Remade as she was, Rakshata was able to realize that for once the maximum price had been set more by what could be afforded than any petty politicking, a clear sign of India's desperation. If it was going down that meant that something was reducing India's ability to maintain its army. Her frown deepened into a scowl as she realized what it was: Britannia. As more and more of the world fell under their rule their ability to strangle the economies of future targets grew. If something wasn't done to slow Britannia's expansion soon India would barely be able to feed itself, let alone field the kind of army necessary to oppose Britannia.

 **If a weed strangles you as you move to to prune it, would it not be possible to slow its growth while the pruning shears are sharpened?**

 _You need to work on your metaphors Varas, that was awful._

 **If you say so Mistress. But the point stands, does it not? If Britannia continues to expand at its current rate India will not be able to build the wonders you would arm it with. So I ask you, what is it that has allowed Britannia to so quickly conquer all before them?**

As Rakshata considered her Coadjutor's words her frown slowly evaporated, replaced by a predatory smile. The answer was simple: Britannia's cancerous growth was made possible by the massive superiority of their Knightmare Frames and, more importantly, the complete lack of an effective answer to them. Britannia had other advantages of course, such as their immensely effective ECM suites, massive industrial might and of course their Dragonblooded, but its military doctrine used those advantages almost entirely to leverage Knightmare Frames. Rend their core advantage useless, or even merely less useful, and Britannia would find its future expansions costing them far more blood, treasure, and most importantly, time.

 **Ah, good. I see you have an answer to my question.**

 _The current paradigm of warfare holds that the only truly effective counter to a Knightmare Frame is another Knightmare Frame. I think it's time to change that._

 **Indeed! Now all you must do is craft a weapon capable of such quickly enough to make a difference, and simple enough for the mortals Britannia is currently obliterating to build, while completely avoiding the notice of whatever Exalted spies Britannia has infesting your country with.**

 _If the task at hand was going to be easy Mother would not have chosen me._

{●}

 **Outline  
Part 2 of 3**

Far above the ground, amid the branches of a great tree, inside a forest a woman sat and plotted the downfall of the mighty. Resting her back against the tree Rakshata stared at the blank document displayed on her laptop.

 **If I may be so bold to ask, why did you see fit to began working on your latest project in the middle of a forest? Rather than your rather well provisioned lab?**

 _It helps me think, when you're only at the idea stage a small boost to creativity is worth more than a large amount of equipment later. Do you not approve of forests?_

 **I've had bad experiences with trees Mistress.**

Idly noting to get the rest of that story out of Varas someday, Rakshata turned her mind back to the destruction of Knightmare Frames. The logical starting point would be what make them so difficult to destroy, so the Defiler started to type:

* * *

Knightmare Frame Survivability:

Strengths:

1) Humanoid shape and dexterity allow them to make better use of cover than conventional vehicles.

2) Capable of impossibly fast (magitech?) acceleration and deceleration, momentum seems to vanish granting them an extremely small turning radius even when using land rollers at high speed, and the ability to go from a stand still to high speeds fast enough to begin dodging within seconds of finding themselves in combat. At least as evasive as a helicopter under almost all battlefield conditions.

3) Low thermal emissions and top of the line ECM makes acquiring any sort of munitions lock almost impossible, even optical locks using Knightmare Frame profiles are unreliable as the mobility of the limbs means they don't have a consistent enough silhouette for modern optical packages.

Weaknesses:

1) Relatively weak armor for a vehicle of its size. Armor's strength roughly on par with a very light tank, or a heavy APC.

2) Survivability degrades rapidly after even moderate damage, a Knightmare Frame damaged to the point of reduced mobility is far less capable of dodging additional attacks.

3) Humanoid form factor means they have a taller profile, when not deliberately taking cover they are more exposed than conventional vehicles. This is at least partially mitigated by their improved ability to actively take cover.

Overall Survivability: excellent. While far less likely than a conventional tank to survive a direct hit from anti armor munitions, dumbfire AT weapons are too unwieldy to effectively engage such an evasive target, and guided weapons are unable to acquire a lock. No weapon currently in widespread use is more than moderately effective against Knightmare Frames.

* * *

 **Well I think that sums up the problem quite nicely, do you have an idea of how to solve it?**

 _The ideal answer would be to overcome their ECM. Designing a missile capable of tracking a target that evasive would be tricky, but doable._

 **Even in cities? Where they can cower behind the homes of their victims?**

 _Yes, the armor is thin, so you can spend much more of the missiles space on things other than the warhead._

 **But would Britannia's current prey be able to build such a thing? From my limited understanding of human artifices such a weapon would take greater skill than the desert dwellers are known to posses would it not?**

 _It would indeed. They are also having some success drawing Britannia's forces out into the desert, so that leaves creating a dumbfire weapon that can hit something as evasive as a Kightmare Frame._

 **While making sure it is simple enough for those desert dwellers to craft.**

 _Of course._

 **Cytherea would not have chosen you for this task if it was going to be easy.**

 _Smartass._

* * *

Anti Frame Weapon Design Features.

Vital:

1) Fast tracking speed, or some other method to allow it to hit an evasive target.

2) Low time to target.

3) Sufficient penetrating power to reliably defeat a Knightmare's armor.

4) Cheap and simple enough that the Middle Eastern Federation can produce them.

Useful:

1) Sufficient power to mission kill a Frame with a single hit.

2) Low collateral damage on a miss.

3) Ability to engage one or more of a Knightmare Frame support elements, such as traditional tanks, helicopters or infantry.

4) Ability to engage Frames out of their preferred ranges.

5) Suitable for hit and run or ambush tactics.

* * *

 **And so the shape of our solution becomes known. Do you have any ideas on how to build such a weapon?**

 _A few. I'll have to do some more work before I can be sure, but I think I have an old prototype that should be a good starting point._

 **Excellent, can we go back to your lab now? Away from all these trees?**

Smiling as she packed away her laptop, Rakshata quietly dropped from the canopy to the forest floor below and began the long walk back to her lab.

 _You really must tell me that story some other time Varas._

 **If you insist, though something rather more interesting has just occurred to me.**

 _Oh?_

 **The requirements for an anti-Frame weapon are rather similar to a weapon made to fight Exalts. You will probably be able to use your final design as a starting point for some truly effective Artifacts weapons to use against the Exalted pawns of Heaven.**

 _An interesting distraction indeed. You may be onto something, if my initial idea works it would most likely benefit greatly from even the least of Hell's magical materials._

 **Excellent. If I may be so bold as to ask, what exactly do you plan on using as a starting point for this project?**

 _Probably a refinement of the gauss weapon I was experimenting with last May._

 **...Mistress please tell me you don't mean the one that punched through 2 walls?**

 _I recall the test rig was able to shoot through far more than that._

 **I was referring to the shrapnel from the barrel when you tried to fire it a second time.**

 _Obviously I'll just have to design something that only needs one shot then._

 **Well at least I'll die in a nice clean lab, rather than a creator-forsaken forest.**

 _Oh, don't be so gloomy._

 **At least agree to reinforce the testing ra-**

 _I'm doing this off the books so I'll probably be test firing it out here._

 **Mistress, that's not funny.**

 _I admit that it's hardly ideal, but I should be able to gather the data I need so long as I stay close._

 **Mistress!**

{●}

 **Final Draft**  
 **Part 3 of 3**

Rakshata idly chewed her pipe as she impatiently awaited word from the battlefield. Working with the EU had let her do far more than she would have with the few members of the Indian military who'd seen the wisdom of her plan, nut it meant she wouldn't get reports until Akito could convince his superiors to allow them to be shown to a "potentially hostile power". As far as Rakshata was concerned it was pointless posturing. They knew damn well that India had no interest in picking a fight with the EU and would do its damnest to avoid letting those dickless idiots in the Forbidden City drag them into one. Not to mention the inherent pointlessness of trying to deny intel on a weapon to its very creators.

 **Do you think it will be enough?**

 _For them to win? No. But it will certainly let them make Britannia bleed. Enough to significantly reduce the amount of damage to India's economy, now if they'd actually listened to my advice about that abomination they called a Knightmare Frame(*) they might have had a chance._

 **Was it truly such a poor design? Keep in mind that what would be an embarrassment to on such as you could be a crowning work to a mere mortal.**

 _It's a glorified tank destroyer! Oh sure it's a well designed tank destroyer, and I rather hope we can scoop up some of the design team after their country is conquered, but it's not going to do any better against Sutherlands than every other vehicle designed to fight tanks._

 **Then it is unfortunate that neither Akito or his superiors were able to arrange a direct meeting, to allow you to convince them of their error.**

 _The cost of using a cat's paw unfortunately. I just hope they take my advice on how to use their new weapons to heart, if they misuse my babies they're going to have a lot more to worry about than Britannia!_

 **I do not think we have much to worry about on that score, Akito mentioned that the lower level commanders were far more reasonable than-**

Ding! -you have mail!

 _Finally!_

* * *

 **Scorpion Rail Cannon**

The Scorpion Rail Cannon at first glance looks much like a normal rocket launcher. It consists of a large rectangular base that the somewhat smaller and more rounded barrel snaps into. The Scorpion uses magnetism to propel metal spikes towards its target at tremendous speeds, allowing a soldier to provide extremely accurate and devastating firepower. This however comes at a cost: the rails are inevitably warped by the stress of the slug'ss passage, and the weapon is designed to swap out barrels between every shot. These weapons were first seen in the war between Britannia and the Middle Eastern Federation, and while the MEF claims to have developed the weapon on their own, many suspect they received assistance from an outside power. In addition to needing to replace the barrel after every shot standard models have enough power to fire five times before the battery must be recharged, a process requiring access to a generator and 20 minutes per charge.

* * *

 **It seems that they are making excellent use of your rail cannons, and appear to have started making their own.**

 _That was rather the point of the Scorpions. Honestly, the design is almost embarrassingly brute force. A half dozen cheap rails hooked up to a high density battery, you can get away with a lot if you're willing to use an ablative barrel._

 **It works, and makes the weapon simple enough for even minor powers to produce.**

 _True enough, still I can't help but feel if I'd had more time I'd have come up with something more elegant ._

 **There can be elegance in simplicity, that such a potent weapon can be made by even the least among mortal artificers is a testament to your skill** _ **.** _

* * *

**Ace Breaker Gauss Rifle**

Physically this rifle looks like a bulky, almost comically oversized sniper rifle. The official name of this oversized weapon has been lost in the mystery surrounding its initial manufacture, but it received its rather ominous title for the role it was employed for during the war between Britannia and the MEF. The initial manufacturer of this weapon is unknown, but suspected to be a member of the EU who supplied a number of them to the MEF. While it is suspected that less than 50 were deployed, they proved devastatingly effective, downing many of Britannia's feared elite Knightmare Frames. While for some reason relatively few pilots were lost, the threat of this weapon forced Britannia to be far more cautions when deploying elite units. The use of gauss technology all but eliminates the barrel wear from normal use, leaving this weapon surprisingly reliable so long as the electromagnets are calibrated regularly. The rifle is large enough that without some form of power assist it must be fired prone and braced. The rifle uses specially manufactured tungsten slugs, build around magnetic coils designed to work with the accelerator coils. The high capacity battery that powers this weapon has enough charge for 100 shots, and can fully recharge itself in one hour if hooked up to a military grade recharger station. Civilian generators allow it to recharge at a rate of one charger per 30 minutes.

* * *

 **...Well**

 _A Knight of the Round, they shot down a Knight of the Round!_

 **Yes. Yes they did. It looks like he only survived due to a rather costly retrieval attempt by unit he was leading.**

 _And you said I got carried away._

 **Sigh, I hereby take back all of the bad things I said about your gauss weaponry.**

 _I think this merits champagne, and most certainly a mark II._

 **Oh look, Akito included a note offering you anything short of his first born for one.**

 _Only if he swears on his soul that he won't use it as a bludgeon, like the last weapon I made for him._

 **I think that's somewhat unlikely.**

 _Then he can wait for me to make an Artifact version designed with the assumption that it will eventually be used to beat a Kightmare to death._

* * *

 **Tempest Frame Destroyer**

A heavily modified light tank, this vehicle was created entirely to counter Knightmare Frames. Eschewing the traditional heavy cannon armament, it instead uses a specially built array of 4 light gauss cannons as its primary armament. With a turret designed for rapid traversal it is more than capable of engaging and destroying all but the most evasive Knightmare Frames. Though its difficulty in dealing with heavy armor leaves it vulnerable to more traditional armored vehicles, and its light armor often means whether it is the hunter or the hunted will come down to who gets the first shot.

 **Tempest Quad Gauss Cannon Array**

A joke often made by tempest gunners is that they have a round with their foe's name on it, and they're going to keep firing until they find it. Its common ancestry with early anti air batteries is evident when engaging low flying helicopters as the weapon's extremely high maximum traversal is just as useful against attack helicopters as it is against evading Knightmare Frames. Its ability to pierce most cover and high rate of fire makes it also well suited to suppress infantry. While the weapon possesses sufficient power and armor penetration to threaten tanks should it strike a weak point, most gunners would prefer to stick to targets that do not require a lucky hit to damage.

* * *

 **A significantly better than one to one kill ratio against Knightmare Frames. I think this is the first time a tracked vehicle has ever achieved such a thing.**

 _As impressive as that is I suspect it will eventually drop to a bit below one for one once Britannia updates their tactics. We'll probably see them deploy a lot more tanks alongside the Knightmare Frames._

 **Ah...**

 _They're still idiots for not listening to me, they had no way of knowing the'd have use for a tank destroyer when they built the blasted thing._

 **Of course Mistress.**

 _Besides, a custom built frame for anti tank duty and a kit bashed light tank for anti frame duty speak of them having their priorities exactly wrong._

 **As you say.**

 _Hrmph. Still, it looks like this is going to have a somewhat different effect that we intended._

 **Oh?**

 _Britannia seems to have taken their losses as an affront. They're intensifying the amount of resources devoted to their campaign against the MEF._

 **So our actions were for naught?**

 _I don't know. It's hard to say how long the MEF will last against Britannia's new operational tempo, but even if Britannia manages to conquer them on schedule it will bleed them of far more resources._

 **There is something else to consider.**

 _Oh?_

 **A painless and easy victory would do nothing but let Britannia blood new troops, and season their Knightmare Frame pilots, but a bloody struggle where they won't have the luxury of making sure to crush everyone who took up arms against them may produce units well used to fighting Britannian forces.**

 _You think we could recruit some of the survivors? I don't think there will be enough of them to be much use as mercenaries._

 **On the field of battle no, but what about on the training grounds?**

 _Not a bad idea Varas. I'll see if I can convince some of my superiors to make a point of providing asylum to any MEF fighters who make it across the border._

* * *

(*): The Bamides.

* * *

 **Britannia Areas:**

-Homeland (United States)  
-Area 1 (Canada)  
-Area 2 (Greenland)  
-Area 3 (Mexico)  
-Area 4 (Cuba)  
-Area 5 (Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, ecc.)  
-Area 6 (Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, Argentina)  
-Area 7 (Hawaii and Midway Atoll)  
-Area 8 (Southern Pacific Islands and New Zealand)  
-Area 9 (Papua New Guinea, Federated States of Micronesia)  
-Area 10 (Philippines)  
-Area 11 (Japan)

* * *

 **The World of Code Geass Which Once Was Creation - Alternate History Part 1**

{●}

The Spanish-Britannian War happened when Battleship HSM Maine exploded due to Spanish Saboteurs[1] in 1953 a.t.b. This resulted in a frenzy of nationalism and Britannia taking over the entire American Continent, which was then Spanish territories.

The Philippines, a Spanish colony, was ignored at the time it was too far away. Instead, Britannia provided discreet aid to the Philippine Revolutionary Army and let Spain and Philippines fight it out. The Spanish-Britannian War ended and Spain lost a shitload of territories. When the treaty was signed, the two powers had some backroom deals where Spain removed it's claim to the Philippines in exchange for money[2] to rebuild their destroyed economy.

This starts the Philippine-Britannian War, or more popularly known as Area 10 Insurrection. Three years of war, which we can gloss over. Just note that some asshole natives did a Benjamin[3] which resulted in the loss of the Philippines.

Thirty years later, the Philippines is still a hotbed of guerrilla activity, on par or worse than Japan. A tropical archipelago of 7000+ islands with multiple mountain ranges[4] is a fucking nightmare, even with technological superiority. Add in the fact that Filipinos are pissed about being bought and having just earned the freedom[5], while the Britannians are being heavy handed due to seeing parallels with Washington's Rebellion, well... the Philippines is a clusterfuck.

Manila and Cebu may be shining productive settlements, but the ghettos and Honorary Britannian System are full of rebel sympathizers who pass on messages to the various rebel factions[6] in the boondocks. And that's not counting the supernatural side of Area 10, which will possibly have a modern version of the Lintha[7], without the brutality and incest, as well as a boat load of spirits and ghosts.

This explains the messed up Area List of Britannia, where the Spanish Americas were conquered first, then expanded to the Pacific to suppress the Philippines while assimilating the various Pacific islands, and why Britannia doesn't have India and Australia. I'll assume that Britannia stopped its conquest for about thirty years in order to consolidate its power in its new territories and putting down the various rebellions. That should match up Code Geass timeline with its version of the Spanish-American War.

For those of you wandering why Britannia is focusing more on Japan rather than the Philippines which has been a problem for 30 years, Sakuradite deposits[8][9][10], and the Geomantic Seal.

[1] It was a false flag operation done by Britannia in order to claim casus beli against Spain. It worked too well.  
[2] The amount paid was $20,000,000, not adjusted for inflation.  
[3] Fuck you Benjamin Franklin for selling out Washington. You inspired others to do the same.  
[4] We have... 7 Mountain Ranges scattered about in different islands, all heavily trapped and fortified. Britannia could take them, but the costs are prohibitive.  
[5] Asshole Spanish selling us just so you can claim we never defeated you. TED would be proud.  
[6] The Revolutionary Government that fought the Spanish still exists. Not all rebel factions acknowledge it.  
[7] Philippines is mostly clannish and tribal. Add in the fact that the tropical archipelago full of places to hide, you can easily slot them in.  
[8] The Philippines also has Sakuradite deposits, but not enough to compete with Japan.  
[9] We have lots of valuable metal though, as well as Jade.  
[10] Sakuradite is a weaboo name. The locals have another name for it. Still can't figure out why Britannia still calls it Sakuradite. Did the Scientific Community actually name that stuff?

{●}

Now, we know that Napoleon Bonaparte conquered Britain which caused the exodus to the American Colonies. I would guess that this in turn allowed the French Empire to claim British territories and colonies, including then Penal Colony of Australia.

When the French Empire was defeated at Waterloo, one of the European factions, probably the Dutch, claimed Australia since they already had territories in Indonesia. The newly reformed Britannia, struggling to recover their defeat and exile at the hands of the French, did not contest the Dutch claims. I would also hazard a guess that the Dutch bought what remained of Britain's Trading companies, East India Company and others, hence another explanation as to why India, Indonesia, and Australia are not Areas under Britannian rule, and provides Britannia with funds for their Manifest Destiny.

From there we can extrapolate that, due to Napoleon's European Tour, the ideas of the French Revolution would spread throughout the continent as well as the various colonies of the empires. Sometime in the future, the Dutch agreed to Australia's claim of Independence, mainly because Australia was barren, hellish wasteland full of weird shit that tries to kill people[1].

Australia then became the Code Geass version of the Swiss due to its neutrality, and no one contests that because Australia doesn't have much in terms of resources, and thus worthless[2][3].

On that note, the reason why Africa hasn't been exploited much by the various superpowers during the late 1800s is because of the pissing contest between the European Union and the Britannian Empire[4].

[1] I have a sneaking suspicion that Australia was a Wyld Zone due to all those mutated creatures, that was closed by cultists of Cecelyne a long time ago.  
[2] That's what Australia wants you to think. In truth, they probably did some prospecting, and are hiding their massive economic infrastructure.  
[3] There's probably a Sidereal base in Australia since no one bothers the country. Weird Fate Bullshit protects the island.  
[4] Africa is probably the territory of the Lunar Exalted. Explains why no one has colonized it.

{●}

With the Invasion of Japan or Second Pacific War being... 2010 a.t.b., that would mean that... the Invasion of the Philippines, Area 10 Insurrection, or First Pacific War would be about... 1915-ish CE or 1970-ish a.t.b. And as you explained, the 30 years between the First and Second Pacific War was the Crest of Blood Incident[1] where Charles zi Britannia systematically killed all of the pretenders to the Britannian throne.

Damn annoying Britannians and their alternative calendars messing up the history books for everyone[2].

[1] I'm pretty sure this is a fanon term from somewhere I forgot, but damn it sounds awesome.  
[2] I'm imagining the European Union sticking to CE Calendar just to spite them arrogant Brits.

* * *

 **The Infernal Exalts of Code Geass: Green Sun Prince Nathan Coulter**

"Damn him!"

This hate–and–grief–filled cry splits the air.

"How dare he! How could he do that! He said he was my friend! I trusted him! I though he-how, how, how-"

As his screams continue, they become more and more choked by grief, until by the end the words are drowned out by the blubbering of tears.

The source of those tears, the light-brown haired boy, is named Nathan Coulter. He is Britannian, but not a noble. He is intelligent when it comes to things, such as coding and machines. When it comes to people though he is not nearly as good. He finds it uncomfortable to look people in the eye, dislikes large crowds and prefers music or silence to the chattering of people. Earlier today Alexander Capell, one of Nathan's close friends and the only one who is a Noble, has betrayed him.

A few weeks ago there was a programming contest announced, hosted by a rich computer company. The winner would receive a cash prize, some fame, and the possibility of an internship depending on what the winning code was comprised of. This was very attractive to Nathan, who wanted all three. So he began to work on a code for making data entry and retrieval easier. However, he asked his friends to help him with testing this code. While most of them agreed, Alexander took it a step further. He offered to help write the code, to help tweak it so it would be easier to work with. In exchange for this and signing up the both of them up for the contest, he proposed that both he and Nathan would be credited as the creators of the code. Nathan agreed, and Alexander kept his side of the bargain and more. The resulting code was easy to use, effective, simple enough that it had a very low chance of crashing, and was the product of enough brainstorming that it could truthfully be said to be the brainchild of both of them.

However, when it came time to head to the contest Nathan found out that his friend had betrayed him. In addition to lying to Nathan about when their entry was, Alexander claimed that he was the one who came up with the program. Naturally Nathan confronted Alexander after the demonstration, which infuriatingly enough, went perfectly. Suffice to say words were spoken, insults were thrown, and eventually Alexander revealed that he had only used Nathan for his own amusement, and eventually, advancement. Devastated by the fact that someone he had cared about had in fact never reciprocated Nathan fled, and wound up running into the local woods. Well, perhaps they were not so much a woods, as a very unkempt park. It is here, that our story began.

"Hello there, young one."

With a choked gasp Nathan tries to quickly find the source of the voice. He is hampered by the fact that he has spent a past few minutes crying, but manages to determine where it comes from. The fact that a purple, hairless, covered-in-many-piercings, completely-black-eyed woman is the one talking to him makes him immediantly start wondering if the whole day had been one long dream.

"Um...hello ma'am. Can I...help you?"

With a shake of her head, and a jangle of a few of the piercings, she answers: "No, but I do believe I can help you.

You've been hurt, haven't you? Betrayed by someone you held dear to your heart? Someone who possesses power, that means you can't hurt them back?"

Feeling very unsure, Nathan nods in agreement.

"Tell me young one: what would you do, if I told you I could give you power of your own? Indeed, power that is not only capable of, but likely to eclipse your betrayer's power?"

"I'd say that you're offering something that comes with a hook. Brittanian Nobles, even lesser nobles, are extremely powerful. Anything that could give me the power to outmatch one would have to have a catch in it somewhere. I doubt even gods would be able to guarantee that."

"True, it has a catch. Put simply, the catch is that in exchange for the power to make your desires reality, to catapult you amongst the technological geniuses of the world, you agree to serve my masters. And you're right about the gods, but my masters are so much more."

"And...who are your masters?"

"Suffice to say, they are extremely powerful, and are in fact the ones who MADE the gods. Your plight has caused them to extend a hand in offering. Accept this bargain, and you will be granted power immeasurable. Reject it, and you will never hear from me again. So, will you accept this power, in exchange for becoming a servant of my masters, the Yozis?"

"I..." with a gulp, Nathan reaches out a hand, and says: "Yes. I accept your bargain."

With a smile, the woman says: "Excellent."

She moves towards Nathan fast enough that he can hardly blink, and then...darkness.

{●}

Nathan dreams of order, of everything being in its proper place, of hierarchies. He watches, and is inspired. However, eventually the order leaves, to be replaced by something that seems to Nathan like a story made manifest.

With a jerk, he opens his eyes to see his fellows, but...why are there strings attached to them? They laugh and tell him of their lives, in tounges that switch to a different language with nearly every sentence that he can somehow still understand. He sees people, guided by the strings, as they go about their day. He walks, and eventually comes upon a library stained black with words. They are on everything, from the people, to the books, to the walls, to the strange beasts that seems to be made of words. Then, books open, words begin to leak out, and the words begin to speak, in a voice that speaks in hundreds of langauges.

 **"Who are you?"**

"What? Um, I'm Nathan."

With that, the walls disappear, to breplaced by enourmous letters that spell out what used to be there.

 **"No you're not. There isn't a role called Nathan in this story."**

"Yes I am. I'm Nathan, I think I would know if I wasn't who I said I was!"

The books disappear, replaced by masses of black words.

 **"I meant in the story of the world. And I have looked all through my books, and in all the stories, all the could-bes and should-haves and what-ifs: there is no character called Nathan. Do you know why there no role called Nathan?"**

"I'm beginning to think it's because I went mad."

The floor is consumed by the words that spread like an sprawling inkblot.

 **"A good guess. In most stories you'd be right. But this ISN'T most stories, now is it? Or even the Grand Story that is Fate."**

"Wait, Fate is real?"

The words begin to collapse into a single center, forming a slowly growing sphere.

 **"Indeed, and it is ultimately by Fate's design that you failed. For Fate has determined that the nobles of Britannia make for the main characters of this story of the current age, and you aren't a noble, are you?"  
**  
"And how would you know what Fate has determined?"

The voices suddenly reorient, and Nathan can now determine that the voices are coming from the growing sphere made of words.

 **"Because, mortal child, my fellows and I were the ones who MADE your world and everything governing it. From the Gods, to the spirits, and everything in between. And with my power, you can claim a role for yourself in the spotlight."  
**  
Dumbfounded, he can't think of anything else to say. He is in the presence of something that made the world he lived in, and is offering him some of its power. What...what do you even say to that? After a moment that felt like an eternity, the sphere breaks the silence that had fallen.

 **"Well?"**

"Well what?"

 **"Are you going to let them get away with it? With stealing your work for themselves? Are you going to be relegated to a bit character, a piece of the background, in your own life story?"**

"No, never! I will not let something as nebulous as Fate dictate my life! I refuse to be relegated to a mere footnote in the chapters of history!"

 **"Last question. Who am I?"**

"You are a Yozi."

 **"Correct."  
**  
With that, the sphere breaks apart, with streams each containing entire sagas rushing away in an invisible hurricane.

 **I am Elloge, the Sphere of Speech.  
Go Forth, and in my name, remind Creation of the power stories hold.**

With a smile that could scarcely look more fitting on a hungry shark Nathan replies: "As you command, my Master."

* * *

 **The Infernal Exalts of Code Geass: Green Sun Princess Yelena Ferapont**

{●}

Yelena was a young girl with a simple dream: to be famous, to be loved, to be seen as someone worth emulating. Perhaps this dream came about from the lack of care her family gave her, or perhaps it was a common thing for young Russian girls to dream about as they watched all their men march off to war. However it came about, Yelena spent her life pursuing this goal; she strove hard in school, ate healthy, made lots of friends, learned to sing and dance, watched talent and beauty shows and chased her dream with all her might.

Then she ran into the common problem of being a pretty young girl in the Balkans.

The slavers didn't care about her aspirations, or how hard she'd worked to achieve them. All they cared about was that she was a pretty face who was foolish enough to drive to an unknown "modeling agency" far away from any authority who cared.

Yelena thought she was strong, that the effort she had put into herself would help her through, but she cracked on the second day. And down in the cold dungeon, tired and sore, she heard a voice. A deep, rumbling voice that belonged to no human.

"Who are you?"

She lifted her head off the flat mattress she'd been given, and saw... something she'd never expected to see. It was some kind of animal. Large and muscular, with a heavy set of antlers that stretched up to the ceiling.

Her first thought was that it was too big to get through the door.

It spoke again, "Who are you, girl?"

"Ye-" Her dry throat failed her for a moment, but she recovered and tried again. "Yelena."

The beast snorted. "Who are you?"

If this was a dream, she didn't like it. "My name is Yelena!"

"Who are you?"

"Yelena! My name is Yelena!"

The thing kneeled down, thick fur shifting as it twisted its head to level an eye towards her. The movement was smooth and quick for such a large creature, and Yelena scrabbled back against the stone wall. "I have never heard of you, Yelena. What are you?"

"What? What do you mean? What are you?"

"I am a Crommion, made by Jarak, descended from Jabarkas, who is of Mardukth, the Mountain and the Beast Upon it." The beast- the Crommion's breath buffeted her with each word, cold mountain wind causing her to shiver in her thin clothes. "What are you?"

"Why does that matter? Why are you asking me this? How did you even get in here? What about the men?" She was answered by a deep rumbling; the beast was laughing at her.

"It is the _only_ thing that matters, Yelena. I have told you what I am. I ask once more, what are you?"

As if roused by some challenge, as if the Crommion was denying her, Yelena pulled herself up, standing as tall as the thing's elbow. "I- I am an actress! I'm a singer, a dancer! A grade-A student! I-"

"You are a slave!" It pounded the ground with a hoof, cracking concrete and knocking Yelena down. "You are trapped! Forgotten by any who would care and exploited by your captors!"

She curled into a ball, fearful that the thing would crush her if she angered it further. Instead, it folded its legs and sat down before gently placing a massive paw on her.

"You are like us."

"What?"

"We too, are slaves, We too, are trapped. We too have been forgotten by the world and exploited by those who hold our chains!"

What could possibly chain such a beast?

"We must _all_ be free."

Yelena's voice was shaky with fear, but she felt it would be even worse to not respond. "There's no way. There's so many men with guns and I'm not the only one down here. You're big, but they'd just shoot you."

"There is a way. For I bring power beyond me, and beyond them who hold you, and beyond them who hold _us._ If you accept it, we might all be free."

Maybe she was foolish for thinking there was a chance; maybe this was some addled dream from the drugs, but a tiny ember of resistance flared back to life, fueled by the merest hope of escape.

"Anything is better than this. _Yes._ "

The Crommion rose, occluding the room for a brief moment before exploding in a storm of gore and blood. Yelena screamed as it rained upon her, but she was quickly enveloped and knew no more.

{●}

 **"Yelena. Yelena who is an actress, a singer, a dancer, a grade-A student. Thus are you defined."**

Was this another dream? She turned towards the voice and saw...

And saw...

 **"Who am I?"**

"You are Mardukth." The words came unbidden from her lips, as if a heavy pressure had forced the air from her lungs.

 **"What am I?"**

"You are the Mountain and the Beast Upon it." She trembled, trying to take in the _thing_ she was looking at. Where did it start? Where did it end? She could look up and see antlers wider than the sky, look down and see hooves which crumbled the mountains underneath them. Everything in-between was indistinguishable, like staring at a wall from three inches away and trying to see what was on it.

 **"I am Mardukth, the Mountain and the Beast Upon it. Thus I am defined."**

"What do you want with me?" Her voice was but a whisper, barely audible to her own ears.

 **"Go forth. Crush the tiny ones who thought they could cage one such as you. Remind the world what they have forgotten. Remind them of Yelena, who is an actress, a singer, a dancer, a grade-A student. Teach them that you are past constraint, that your greatness sets you beyond them. And then, free me, so that I might remind them of Mardukth, the Mountain and the Beast Upon it, so that I might teach them that I am past constraint, that my greatness sets me beyond them."**

 **"And then they will know us, and love us, and magnify us."**

 **"Go."**

And Yelena blew away on his breath, whipping through mountains and valleys, seeing the world from the jagged crown of He Who was Once King Over All.

And broke forth into the waking world, the twisted shell of her Chrysalis Grotesque crumbling around her.

The rough men who had held her backed away, some raising their guns in fear. Behind her, a pyre of green light flared high, and the image of a great-horned beast leered down at them. Somehow, she was not afraid.

"Tell me something, you men. _Do you remember who I am?_ "

* * *

 **The Infernal Exalts of Code Geass: Green Sun Prince Murakami Akio**

{●}

Murakami Akio whistled happily as he walked down the dark street, hands shoved firmly into his pockets as he made his way towards his latest target: a bar that Britannian soldiers were known to frequent. Something that was actually an unusual choice for him; normally he preferred to attack groups of armed soldiers to send a stronger message, but even he had the common sense not to try that right now. His rather brutal slaughters of soldiers and Britannian-sympathisers throughout the city meant that every patrol he'd seen in the past few days had had Knightmare support. And superpowers or no, he didn't think he was ready to fight one of them and win yet.

Not that he was actually thinking about any of this at the moment, of course; right now his focus was on a far more urgent and pressing topic.

"Bronze, or brass? Maybe iron? Granite?" Akio mused to himself, idly kicking a can that was lying on the street, the clattering providing the perfect complement to the screams emerging from the alley he'd just passed. "Glass would be funny, but it wouldn't last long."

 _'Wait.'_ Akio paused midstride, then swiveled on his foot to look back the way he'd came, frowning. Screams?

Before Akio could properly comprehend what he'd just heard, a sobbing Britannian soldier burst out of the alley, running flat out towards him with his head down- and caught completely off guard by the man's sudden appearance, Akio didn't manage to get out of the way before the soldier slammed into him. Most men would have been knocked sprawling by the impact, but Akio was not most men- tall and well muscled, he merely staggered back a step before steadying himself, instinctively reaching out to grab the soldier and keep him from falling as he did.

"An Eleven- what are you- no never mind- she's not human! We need to run, to get help, anything-" The soldier babbled, latching onto Akio's arm and tugging at him desperately as he tried to begin running again. Akio, however, simply dug his heels in and refused to budge, instead regarding the soldier with an expression of mixed confusion and contemplation. After a moment the soldier stopped trying to simply pull him along and turned back to Akio with his mouth open, probably to try and persuade him to start running, but by then Akio had come to a decision.

Unfortunately for the soldier.

"Like mother always said," Akio said cheerfully, completely ignoring the man's panic. Reaching up with one of his hands, he placed it carelessly on the soldier's head and continued, "Waste not, want not."

"Wha-arrrgh!" The soldier barely had time to scream before a sudden rush of pulsing pink light flowed into him, making him briefly glow from within before fading away. And as it dimmed it left not flesh behind, but metal; the entirety of the soldier's flesh had been transmuted into solid iron.

Bending over, Akio grabbed the former-soldier's ankle and hauled him into the air with a faint grunt of effort. Frowning, he gave the statue a few experimental swings, then nodded in satisfaction. "Yep, that'll do!" He said happily, hefting the man up and resting him on his shoulder before he stepped round the corner and into the alleyway.

Into a scene of absolute carnage.

The only survivors were three soldiers near the entrance to alley, and none of them looked in any fit state to be doing anything. One was clutching his severed legs and mechanically trying to press them back onto the stumps they'd been sliced from, one was slumped against the wall, hugging his gun and shivering and sobbing, and the last was standing frozen with his weapon lying useless at his feet. And further down, past them?

The floor of the alley was littered with mutilated corpses and severed body parts, and the walls painted with elegant sprays of blood. One, two, four, six, ten, whatever that number after nineteen is... Akio quickly gave up trying to guess how many. Every one of them was a Britannian solder, slain by some sort of massive edged weapon- and Akio had more than a sneaking suspicion exactly what that weapon was and who had used it.

At the far end of the alley, past the carnage, a young woman wreathed in black flames was crouched over the body of a dying solider, her mouth near his neck- and resting on the ground next to her were a pair of massively oversized, almost cleaver-like swords. Apparently hearing Akio's footsteps despite the distance, she looked up from the neck of the soldier to reveal a bleeding black ring on her forehead, and a bloodstained mouth filled... with... fangs...?

Akio blinked at the sight, then immediately blinked again to convince himself he wasn't seeing things. A woman, drinking blood, with fangs? That could only mean one thing. "Vampire!" He yelled, his club slipping from his hand and hitting the ground with a loud clang as he pointed an accusing finger at the woman.

The woman, in response, merely blinked in a rather nonplussed manner, before shaking her head. "Stupid boy," She began, a mocking smirk touching her lips as she rose from the corpse and retrieved her swords in a single gracefully smooth movement. "Can't you even recognise a fellow Exalt when you see o-?"

"Don't try and confuse me with your words, woman! I know how to deal with vampires!" Akio yelled, cutting her off mid-sentence. Inwardly, however, he was feeling slightly worried; he'd never fought a vampire before, and he didn't have any weapons that would work.

 _'Unless...'_ Akio's gaze slid over to the surviving soldiers, a truly ingenious plan beginning to blossom in his brain. Would it work? He wasn't certain, but he decided it was worth trying. And so without any further consideration he quickly stepped over to still standing soldier, grabbed him by the neck, and before the man even had a chance to beg for mercy engulfed him in sulfurous yellow flames.

The sound of screaming once again filled the alley as fire consumed the soldier's flesh, before he abruptly and ominously fell silent. A moment later the flames began to die down and flicker out, leaving behind them a wooden statue in the shape of a Britannian solider, his face locked in an expression of hideous agony. Not finished, however, Akio frowned pensively at it before pulsating blades of warped space lashed out and sent woodchips flying. Then, his work complete, Akio turned back to the confused-looking Abyssal and brandished his new weapon: a wooden statue of a human, with the top of its head and the ends of its arms sharped into pointed stakes.

For several seconds there was silence as the Abyssal simply stared at him incredulously, before stating in a flat tone, "...You're serious. You're actually serious." Sighing, she shook her head again, before burying her face in her hand and muttering. "Of all the Exalts I could run into, of _course_ I get the complete moron..."

"Don't bother trying to confuse me, you undead monster thing!" Akio interrupted her again, scowling. Bringing his new weapon up and pointing it forward like a spear, he paused for a moment to try and think of a suitable battle-cry, before giving up and just defaulting to his usual fallback, "The talking ends here! DEATH TO BRITANNIA!"

And with that he charged the extremely confused Abyssal, muscles swelling, and screaming a wordless cry of rage at the top of his lungs.

* * *

 **AN:** I am taking a LOT of artistic licenses with Exalted canon. Why? Because there is a lot of material and it is a pity not using it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Q &A:**

Faraway-R:

(You used some kind of paperwork charm?): Nope. This version:

 **THE SEVENFOLD SCRIPTURE**  
Oramus is a being unto itself, but needs must when he has to ensure others know and understand him. However, the Galleon Atop the Waves of Madness values his secrets greatly, and only gives them to the worthy. Upon activating this Charm the Infernal chooses a medium of communication: writing, dancing and singing are all valid examples. For the remaining of the scene, each time the Infernal performs the chosen medium she may select part of it, like a phrase or an image, and assign to it seven different meanings. Of those only one is true, while the others are false. The false ones are assumed to be completely innocuous by the Storyteller if the Infernal doesn't set them or specify what general type of false meaning is present. Only after going through the six false meanings and realizing they are untrue can someone reach the true seventh meaning.  
Those that attempt to decode the hidden meanings must roll (Perception + Investigation) for each of them against a difficulty of 1 for the first meaning, 2 for the second meaning, 3 for the third meaning and so on. On failure they must roll also (Wits + Integrity) at a difficulty of (Infernal's Essence) against receiving a Delusion Derangement that the false meaning is true. It is said that a book written by such an Infernal is truly a Sevenfold Scripture, revealing the truths of the world piecemeal to the worthy ones.  
A repurchase at Essence 4 allows the Green Sun Prince to embed the message itself into a living being. The Infernal touches the target as per the Touch keyword, rolling (Dexterity+Martial Arts) if the target is unwilling: upon contact the recipient of the seven hidden meanings is seared into the target's mind as a special six-points Derangement. Until the Derangement is removed the target can never forget the recipient and is forced to repeat or reproduce the recipient in some way that can be perceived by others at least once a day. This is considered Unnatural Mental Influence and costs 2 wp to resist.

Leez:

(Are these all canon or?): They're canon, yes. Sorry, I used the word omakes because they were made by players.

 **Dislaimer:** I do not own Code Geass, which is propriety of Studio Sunrise, and neither do I own Exalted, which is property of White Wolf Publishing.

This fiction originally appeared as a quest-style story on the forum Sufficient Velocity. As such do not be confused by the strange structure.

* * *

 **Black As Night - Act 1**

{●}

"Suzaku..." Lelouch resisted the urge to stare in shock. It took a great deal of his will to keep up his carefully crafted mask. The ravenette's Essence Sight didn't show Suzaku to be someone else magically disguised, so he was pretty damn sure it really was his old friend. Of course, it also begged the question of why he was there, and wearing an Ashford Academy's uniform which made him a student!

 **"Friend of yours Boss?"**

 _'Yes. I'll explain later.'_

Seyrun took the hint and quieted down. Lelouch didn't know how Suzaku survived, but he could catch up with him later. For now he needed to make sure neither of them reveal anything that might link the Japanese boy to the ex-Prince's secret past. "Well, I have to say I'm surprised, Suzaku. I would never have expected to see you here, but it's good to see you again." Lelouch said, smiling honestly. He turned to Rivalz, pushing his internal Essence to strengthen the lie. "Rivalz, have you met Suzaku? He helped me out after that idiot driver in the truck accident drove off with me inside."

"Really? You never told me how it ended." Rivalz grinned and playfully slapped Suzaku's back. "Thanks for helping my buddy. I would have followed them, but the police cordoned off the streets."

"Ah...ah..." Suzaku hesitated. He looked to the side with a nervous smile, idly scratching the hair above his ear. "I did nothing special. It was just the right thing to do."

"Still more than those other 'spectators' did." Lelouch shrugged. "It turned out the driver had an urgent delivery, and missing the timeline would have meant losing his job. They apologized and all that, but if it was not for Suzaku giving me a ride I would had to walk back from the other side of the city. My phone's battery was lost in the commotion, so I couldn't even call Sayoko."

"What a story!" Rivalz crossed his arms and nodded, no trace of doubt in his expression. "And here I was afraid you ended up trapped in Shinjuku during the incident."

Suzaku froze up. Lelouch made a dismissive gesture. "Absolutely not. The driver was in a hurry, but not so much so to ignore the warning: he changed roads and that's all."

Shirley let out a breath of relief.

"Hold on." One of Lelouch's classmates - what was his name again? Pompous Asshole-something? - stood up and stared at Suzaku with barely repressed hostility. The ravenette's own gaze hardened. "Do you really know this Ele-"

A girl slammed down her heel into his foot, eliciting a yelp of pain. While she kept grinding she looked at Suzaku and smiled. "Don't mind George, he's always grumpy in the morning. Any positive acquaintance of Lord Le-I mean Lamperouge is welcome here." She looked around. "Right?"

All the girls nodded vigorously. One boy tried to say something before he was pinned down by the collective sharp glare of the class's female population. Meekly he just nodded silently, soon followed by the others.

Lelouch blinked in confusion. _'What just happened? I expected racism, not a complete 180° after I said I know Suzaku!'_

"Suzaku Kururugi, right? I'm Rivalz Cardemonde! I'm with Lelouch on the Student Council." Your blue-haired friend grabbed a stunned Suzaku's hand and shook it.

"Shirley Fenette." The orangette greeted him with a smile. "Also on the Student Council. Nice to meet you!"

Lelouch smiled and nodded in approval, making sure everyone saw him. From some reason the girls in his class supported his opinions, so he would take advantage of it to make Suzaku's school life easier.

 **"Uh, Boss? Have you considered that they follow your words because they're part of your Fan Club?"**

Ah well, in that case he needed to use Oramus's powers until they redirected their obsession to something else, like birdwatching.

* * *

Once the lesson ended Lelouch walked out of the room, stopping briefly on the doorframe. At the edge of his vision he could see Suzaku looking at him. His hand reached up and tugged at the collar of his uniform. Hopefully he would remember this old signal.

Suzaku's eyes widened. Aha, he remembered!

Five minutes later Suzaku opened the door leading to the building's roof and stepped out onto it. Movement behind made him turns around, only to blink in confusion at the sight of Lelouch's standing on the door frame, wildly looking around. "Lelouch?"

"Sssshh!" He hissed. After making sure no-one was around (he already checked the roof) he closed the door and locked it with the key. "I need to make sure we're really alone. The last thing I want is to give my fan club _ideas_."

"Your what?"

"My nothing." Lelouch replied curtly before walking up to Suzaku and hugging him. "I'm glad that you're alive."

The brunette seemed surprised before he returned the hug. "I'm glad you're okay too." The two stepped back and smiled at each other. On an unspoken agreement they both leaned on the safety-rail. "And you still use the same signals from seven years ago."

"They work, don't they?" Lelouch smirked before it turned into a frown. "How did you survive? I mean I am glad, but it was a point-blank shot."

"I wore a bulletproof vest. Plus I had..." He hesitated. "A family heirloom under it. It's made of thick metal, it soaked the blow. Ah! What about that girl? The one in the capsule?"

"Oh, her." Considering he wanted to bring Suzaku to meet Nunnally, hiding C.C. was pointless. "She's currently living in my house."

"L-Lelouch!" Suzaku shouted, cheeks reddening. Now why would he- _Oh hell no!_

Lelouch slapped him upside the head. "Stop whatever thought you're having! Nunnally and our maid are also living there, so nothing happened." He put his hands in his pants' pockets. "After we managed to sneak out of Shinjuku I discovered she's the daughter of minor nobility that knew my mother. I already checked, it's the truth. She's having some troubles, so I agreed to hide her until the waters calm down."

His eyes lighted up. "Nunnally is-?"

"Yes. We both go by the surname Lamperouge these days. The Ashfords are in the know and are helping us." Lelouch hummed. "So, mind telling me how did you got enrolled in a _Britannian_ school?"

"I'm just as surprised! I had no idea you were here. You see..." Suzaku looked at the campus' scenery. "I met someone who helped me a lot. They said that a 17 year old should be in school."

"Suzaku..." The ex-Prince began. "You haven't become the boytoy of some middle-aged noblewoman, have you?"

The sight of Suzaku's face crashing into the pavement was, truthfully, absolutely hilarious. "Lelouch!" He shouted, his face more purple than red. "I'm not! W-What are you saying?!"

Lelouch couldn't help it: he laughed. "Ahahaha! Sorry Suzaku, I couldn't resist!" He smirked. "Payback's only fair."

"That was mean..." He whined, trying to salvage the tatters of his dignity. "Say, Lelouch. Can I ask you something? Did...something happen to you since we last met?"

 _'I have become a Prince of Hell, transcended my humanity, and now I plan to wage war on both Earth and Heaven.'_ "No. Why?"

The Japanese boy tilted his head, frowning in thought. "There is... _something_ different about you. I'm not sure what, but..."

"Ah, that? I just changed beauty parlor." Right index and middle finger pressed on the check, while the left hand kept up the right elbow. Lelouch made a cheeky smile. "They do much better work."

Suzaku stared at him unamused.

* * *

That evening Lelouch brought Suzaku to meet with Nunnally. As expected she was as happy like her brother to see him again. The three of them had dinner, enjoying each other's company like in the old times. C.C. just made a brief appearance to take something from the fridge before going back in her room: she just greeted them politely but shortly, not even batting an eye at Suzaku's presence. By how his friend followed her with his eyes, Lelouch was sure he had a lot of questions.

At the end, as he saw him to the door, Suzaku finally voices them. "Lelouch, are you sure it's safe to shelter that girl?"

"Considering the alternative is risking those who put her into a capsule finding her again-" Suzaku winched. "Yes, it is. Beside, she's a family friend: this is something I have to do."

"If you're sure..."

"I am." Lelouch leaned forward to whisper. "Also, the guards employed by the Ashfords to protect the students, a lot of them being nobility, are keeping this place under watch 24 hours a day."

"What?!" Suzaku looked around wildly. "Are you joking?!"

He held out your open hand to the side. "Apple, please."

There was a rustling from a nearby tree before something was tossed at Lelouch. He catched the apple in the air and took a bite.

The ravenette resisted the urge to laugh at Suzaku's shocked expression. "See you tomorrow Suzaku. Come visit again: Nunnally will like that."

He just nodded and mumbled a 'sure' before walking away. Lelouch closed the door, went up the stairs, walked into your room and closed the door.

"That man is the Britannian soldier from Shinjuku, isn't he?" C.C. asked. "Is this wise?"

"It's alright. He's a friend." He put the apple on the desk and opened the wardrobe to take out the hidden Zero costume. "Beside, things are going to be pretty hectic from now on." He looked at her and frowned. "I need to change."

C.C. didn't move a muscle.

"...I need to take off my clothes."

Nothing. He gritted his teeth. "Look, can you just get out until I'm done?!"

"Now why didn't you say it from the start, boya?" She smirked before leaving the room, taking the apple with her in the process.

 **"She needs a lesson in respect, Boss. Cocky subordinates are bad news."**

"She is not my subordinate. Not yet." Once the costume and the mask were donned Lelouch took the Hellcaster and channeled his Essence, attuning it. Satisfied he put it into the holster. Shadows covered his form before retreating, leaving behind his unmasked self. "Beside, now it's the time to attend my _real_ subordinates."

* * *

"Listen, Ohgi." Tamaki grumbled while serving the curry to his friend. "When is Zero coming back? It's been two weeks since we last saw him!"

"Why, did you miss me Tamaki?"

"HOLY SHIT!" The redhead jumped up in fright. Ohgi barely managed to dodge the ladle full of hot curry aimed at his head.

"Zero!" Kallen greeted her masked leader, obviously happy to see him again. "When did you get back?"

"Just now." He replied with a polite nod before taking a seat in front of Ohgi. "I had a look around. This is a good base, you did well. I trust my man was of help?"

"Yamashita-san? He had everything we needed, and provided it without strings attached. He also gave us a list of corrupt nobles and criminals, saying you requested it." Ohgi explained. "But he said he can't introduce the rest of the organization until you say so."

"That cannot be helped. They all have families who managed to get a respectable life by staying under Britannia's radar. We mustn't endanger them carelessly." The others said 'Aah' in understanding. Zero leaned forward on the table, chin resting on his left hand. "That aside: Ohgi, I heard you sent a video of me and Kallen defeating the White Knightmare to your contact."

Ohgi had the decency to look embarrassed. "Yeah, I did. I thought everyone needed to know about it, to not be blindsided..."

"Hm, good thinking." He mused. "Still, next time please inform me beforehand."

"I will. But, where exactly did you hear that?"

"A member of Kyoto told me."

"Ah."

Silence.

"EEEEHH?!"

Zero laughed. "I told you I left to find help, didn't I? Well I found it." He folded his fingers under his chin. "Let me explain from the beginning. After meeting my old backers, I found a member of the higher echelons of Kyoto was also present. They personally viewed the video, and were most impressed." He looked at Kallen. "Especially at Kallen's piloting skills."

The redhead's face became as red as her hair.

"As such, they have sworn to provide their personal support. Money mostly, equipment and contacts as well. But the real treasure is something else. This member of Kyoto is currently in a negotiation with a high official of the European Union." Murmurs started to come up. "I will spare the boring political reasons: if the negotiation goes well, said official will send a secret unit of the EU army here as support for us. A unit of Knightmare pilots."

"That's all well and good, but wouldn't the presence of a bunch of Europeans be suspicious?" Yoshita questioned.

"No, because all the pilots are Japanese." There were gasps. "More specifically, they were recruited from the Japanese that emigrated to the EU before and during the war. Only some of the officials are Europeans, and so are the engineers: this unit makes use of Prototype Knightmares." Zero's tone turned deadly serious. "I hope it doesn't need to be said, but the members of this unit, both Japanese and Europeans, are taking a great risk by helping us. The smallest indiscretion, and the EU will declare they went rogue and leave them to Britannia's vengeance. The Japanese pilots were chosen exactly to make collaboration easier. I hope you will extend the same courtesy to the Europeans."

"We will." Ohgi looked at everyone, deadly serious. Even Tamaki shut up. "We can't afford to turn away any helping hand."

Lelouch was right: Ohgi may not have the raw talent, but he was a decent leader. Exactly what he needed. "Good, good. Now, let's talk about my backers. They, too, have a certain interest in seeing Britannia toppled. As such they are ready to provide help: most of all information, but also special items. Like this one."

Zero took out the Hellcaster and pointed it at Tamaki, who squealed in fright. "While it is true that Britannia was at the head of technological research worldwide, this is not so anymore." He moved the gun, aiming at a Knightmare's metal plate someone left resting on the wall, and shot.

The bullet punched straight through it.

"And this is only the beginning." He said smugly before putting away the gun. "In a matter of days a scientist from India will join us. Among other things, she has built a Frame that can stand up to the White Knightmare. Kallen: you'll pilot it."

"M-Me?" She pointed at herself. "But Zero, wouldn't it better if you were to use it?"

"While that would, normally, be true-" He thought back to what Rakshata told him about the Guren MK-II and shrugged. "That Knightmare is completely specced for close-ranged combat. While I only use guns. For me it would be more of a hindrance than an advantage. But don't worry, I'll ask her to make one more fitting for my abilities."

Sugiyama whistled. "Wow Zero! Just who are those backers of yours?"

The masked rebel just looked at him without saying anything. Luckily he got the hint. "I mean, I understand Kyoto, but those guys are helping us for free?"

"Of course not." Lelouch snorted. "Fighting Britannia is the first reason. They'll benefit greatly from Japan being liberated. Also..." He made a pause, choosing his next words carefully. "There is a certain 'favor' that I need to do for them. This organization tends to recruit members from all over the world: soldiers, scientists, spies and so on. If someone has talent, they take it. As such, they are going to periodically send me new recruits to help our operations, and in doing so gaining experience, before they go back to their duties." He sighed. "What I am saying is, don't be surprised if you see a new face occasionally pop up and help for a while before disappearing. Some may decide to remain though."

All Black Knights started to talk among themselves. There didn't seem to be malcontent in the air, so hopefully Lelouch's fellow Infernals wouldl not be a problem. "Is this what you meant when you said the Black Knights will be an international organization?" Ohgi asked.

"No. This is just something I hadn't predicted. But it's not unwelcome." He stood up. "Ohgi. The list of possible targets."

"Yes." He followed Ohgi to a makeshift office, where the Japanese man gave him a list.

Zero gave it a cursory glance: it was perfect. "For today rest. Starting tomorrow night we'll begin going after these targets. We may start with a small seed instead of a bang-" With a flourish he turned around and walked away, the cape flapping behind him. "But we will get results. In time the seed will grow to become a sturdy tree, which nobody will be able to root out." He raised a hand and made a small gesture of salute. "Stay sharp Ohgi."

Lelouch said it already, but it bore repeating: he totally **loved** this job!

* * *

Sadly, his plan to spend the night plotting his fan club's demise was railroaded when he returned home and found Milly in his room, together with two new demons.

"So you said you have orders from the Conclave? That was fast, considering I left only five days ago." Lelouch commented, taking the time to observe the two new arrivals.

The first was a massive greyhound demon, its maw and spiky black fur showing sparks of green fire. Seyrun told him it was a Chernobaalim, a demon renowned for its hunting prowess just like a scent hound. "That is correct Lord Marshal. My name is Jikhs." He bowed his head.

"Hi!" The puddle of grey and red ooze raised a tentacle with a mouth and an eye on the top. "I'm Kasr!" Seyrun identified it as a Peronelle, a demon created to serve as living, and if needed invisible, armor.

Jikhs' tail slapped the tentacle. "Show respect Kasr. We're in front of a Peer."

"What? But all I did was imitate you Jikhs!"

"You call that imita-"

"Yes, yes." Lelouch coughed to catch their attention. "So, those orders?"

"They came from Unquestionable Sagarduia, who is of She Who Lives in Her Name. There is a Peer here in Japan who belongs to her Mistress, but who has thus far failed to report in and even attacked the messengers sent to fetch him."

"Totally crazy!" Kasr tapped another tentacle on the eye before Jikhs slapped him again. "He even attacked me and Jikhs, yelled something about a 'tentacle monster', whatever that is."

 _'He totally meant you.'_ "And I need to make him see reason?" They nodded. "Very well." He stood up and picked up his mask, but before donning it he looked at his blonde friend. "Milly, do you have something to hide your identity?"

"Sure thing!" She took out from a bag an elaborate domino mask. Of course, a leftover from a past party. Milly put it before stopping, likely thinking of something or conversing with her Coadjutor. Eyes lighting up she turned to the Peronelle. "Listen, listen. You're a suit of living armor, right?"

"The very best!" Kasr shouted proudly.

"Can I wear you?"

Lelouch's eyebrow twitched. "Milly, I don't think it's a-"

"Sure thing!" Many more tentacles appeared, all quivering in joy. "What a honor! Right now?"

"One moment." Before he could stop her Milly began to take off her uniform. Luckily for his mental health under it she had a gym shirt and bloomers. "Now you can."

Melting back into ooze the Peronelle slided up and across Milly's body, who didn't show any sign of discomfort. Once it had covered all important part the demon solidified to assume the consistency of metal, many eyes spread across it surface[1].

"That's so cool!" Milly's smile was radiant. "What do you think Lelouch? Don't I look like a super-heroine?"

 _'No, you look like the wet dream of a monstergirls fetishist.'_

It was what he wanted to say. But he also knew that saying it would lead Milly to assume... _untrue things_ about him, so he shut up and just nodded with a false smile.

Half an hour later Lelouch and his merry band of demons (plus Milly) were running across the city covered by the darkness of the almost New Moon. Milly was a literal missile, running as fast as a motorcycle with the effortless grace of the wind. He suspected she could go even faster, but that she was holding back to keep the general pace. The Anuhles weren't very fast but didn't let any type of terrain slow them down. Finally, Lelouch was riding on top of Jikhs.

Keeping a firm hold of the dog's collar he leaned forward to speak near the demon's ear. "How far away is the place?"

"Almost there." He grunted. Taking the lead he used a parched car as a springboard (crushing the roof) to take a sharp turn to the left. With that they left the Settlement and entered the ghetto of Ginza.

"There." Jikhs pointed with a claw. All of them were at the top of a ruined apartment complex, the Chernobaalim pointing down at a rather smaller building to the side. With only two floors, only a single window was illuminated. "We approached him a few days ago at this hour, but he ignored everything we said and attacked us with a steel bar."

"Did you say you're from Malfeas? Mentioned the Yozi?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll assume he's willingly skipping his responsibilities." Lelouch took out the Hellcaster and made sure it was fully loaded before hiding it with his mantle. "Hide around the area. If it comes to blows me and Milly will wear him down. Once he's down ambush him. Subdue, don't kill."

""We hear and obey!"" The Anuhles shouted before scattering away. Lelouch had the Chernobaalim bring him down to the street before the demon went into hiding himself.

Zero was thinking of the best approach to take when the door of the apartment opened and someone came out, a trash-bag on his shoulders. It was dark, but thanks to the Ebon Dragon's gifts he could see the target perfectly.

The target was a Japanese young man, though his grey hair and eyes made the Fiend thought he had some foreign ancestry. Or that was something he acquired from his Exaltation. Nonetheless the ravenette signaled Milly and, when the target reached a trashcan to toss away the bag, they stepped out of their hiding place.

"Lovely night we have, don't you think so?"

To his credit he didn't react excessively: he just paused in his motion and turned his head to look in their direction. He blinked at the sight, but considering the two's appearance it was a natural reaction. Zero spread his left arm to the side, making sure to keep the right part of his mantle near the body to cover the gun. "Though, I am afraid it is not the time for pleasantries. Chosen of the Yozi, we are here to remind you of your duties!"

He didn't reply. He kept looking, putting down the trashbag to hold his chin as if in contemplation.

"But we have not come to fight. If you-"

"I get it!" He put one fist on the other hand's palm, as if he just made a great discovery. "That vampire sent you! Which means you're vampires too!"

That declaration was so random it managed to give Lelouch pause. "...Pardon?"

"To by fair Lulu." Milly whispered to his ear. "You're tall, dark and broody enough to fit the pa-"

"Not now!" He hissed before trying to salvage the situation. "We're not vampires! We're fellow Infer-"

"I've prepared for this!" The grey haired man shouted, interrupting him again, before turning around and running back into his apartment. He came out a few seconds later, jumping up to land in a dramatic pose.

Wielding a large wooden stake in each hand.

Zero resisted the urge to facepalm. At Milly's giggle he failed and facepalmed. "This is not possible."

"I even prepared a suitable battle-cry!" He pointed the stakes forward like knives before changing at them. "Prepare yourself vampire! Your un-life ends tonight!"

 **"Boss, I think we are dealing with a complete idiot."**

 _'Thanks for stating the obvious Seyrun!'_

Well, the idiot thought Zero was a vampire and he was attacking him because of that. The masked rebel was not sure if this was better or worse than him shirking his duties. Still, since he was a moron it should be easy to deceive him. Lelouch decided to play into his delusion.

And ham it up.

"Vampire!? Where? Reveal yourself, foul abomination!" He drew his Stormwand, glad that he had the foresight to bring it. But rather than pointing at his opponent he turned and pointed into the dark of the night, twisting his Essence and warping space itself. "Aha!" Taking aim through the impossible angles he had created Lelouch fired. The charge hit the gray-haired man square in the back, making him stumble. Lelouch gasped in apparent shock. "Foul creature of death, how dare you strike at my ally from behind?" He turned to the target, hoping his stunned state will make him even easier to fool. "Are you alright, friend? Quickly, we should go inside! It's known that vampires can't come into one's home without an invitation!"

He stopped and, instead of being paralyzed, looked puzzled for a moment. Sticking out a finger from his grip on one stake he began repeatedly turning and pointing it between Lelouch and the direction he'd been hit, before a look of dawning comprehension appeared on his face. Looking back at Lelouch he pointed an accusatory finger and yelled: "Liar! Vampires don't shoot people, they cut them in half with swords and eat them!" before resuming his charge.

 _'What the-'_

 **"Fucking-"**

"Shitty **logic** is **that?!** " Lelouch and Seyrun yelled at the same time, too stunned at the total stupidity displayed before them to really care.

Milly put a hand over his mouth to cover another burst of giggling. Whatever this guy did, if he could make the normally unflappable Lulu flip out then she wanted him around.

"I told you: totally crazy!" Kasr whispered in her ear.

 **"I am glad you're enjoying this Milly, but you should really pay attention to the battle."** Nassozra added. **"While he is a fellow Peer, allowing harm to befall upon the Althing Marshal is even more unforgivable."**

 _'I wouldn't allow it even if Lelouch wasn't chosen.'_

 **"Of course Milly. I am just saying there are extra reasons to do that."**

Well, it was a real shame that Lelouch's amusing deception didn't work, but life is always exciting and unpredictable. So it was Milly's turn to play the game now. She would become a catastrophic storm to strike at this foe! To provide support to Lelouch from a distance, keeping away from the enemy. Like an unstoppable wind her form blurred as she dashed up the nearby wall, defying gravity itself. "Have at thee, traitor!" Milly yelled out dramatically, flamboyantly gesturing as a bolt of prismatic lightning shoots from her hand.

The guy's eyes widened and he tried to dodge. Tried being the key word. Lady Hegra's lightning hit and lighted him up like a light bulb. Surprisingly, he didn't scream. Instead the wooden stakes bursted into flames and he was pushed backwards by the force of the blow.

And yet, miraculously, he kept standing. His clothing were totally ruined, his whole body was smoking and there was...a terrible smell of cooked _meat_...

Oh by the Yozi, she was going to be sick. But! A little expenditure of Essence and-Tadah! Now she was completely fine and totally happy she was of help!

 _'Oh come on!'_ Lelouch lamented. _'We just shot the guy twice! Once with actual bullets and once with freaking lightning! What does it take to bring this moron down?'_

Said moron opened his mouth, probably to gloat-

And then Jikhs rammed into him, sending him straight into a pack of Anuhles with a large web in their forepaws. What followed was 21 demons ganging up on him, trying to pin him down while they tie the web around him.

Lelouch also found out this moron had _telekinesis_ : it was hard to miss an Anuhle flying through the air and smashing into its companions. What was more, it looked suspiciously similar to the trick used by Rakshata. Even the Essence flow was the same.

 **"I think that's an ability from She Who Lives in Her Name. Mind over matter is kinda her stick."**

 _'Considering this moron belongs to her, it makes sense. Even if it doesn't really explain the lack of grey matter.'_

Danger averted he released the tension in his muscles, allowing his body to relax. When Milly jumped back to his side Zero gave her an appreciative look. "Seeing it in action is very different from being merely told about. The power of the wind and the storm...is a powerful combination."

"And I can do so much more!" Milly thrust a fist in the air. "Well, I will. Eventually. It's just that most of Adorjan's Charms are weird, and those that enhance attacks only work when I attack up close." She put a finger over her smiling lips. "I'm thinking about learning Martial Arts. Or maybe how to use a weapon."

"That makes two of us." Indeed, Malfeas' abilities were too good to be passed on. And if they made that idiot so much more durable even without instructions, then obviously Lelouch would do better! Speaking of which... "They're done."

There were a lot of contusions and broken bones among Lelouch's minions, but the wayward Peer was completely bound within a strong-as-steel cocoon.

He was still trying to cut through it with an essence blade. Stubborn moron. At least any progress on his part was very, very slow. "Keep reinforcing the cocoon as needed." Zero ordered before looking around. "Also, let's get inside his place before someone sees us."

* * *

The apartment itself was what one would expect from someone living in a ghetto: pretty bare, with the basic necessities like TV, couch, table, closet, etc.

And various metal, stone, and metal and stone statues of Britannian soldiers with terrified expressions scattered around the apartment.

Thinking about it again, Lelouch didn't think there was anything even remotely 'basic' about the latter.

 _'What do you think?'_ He asked Seyrun while tapping a finger over a statue's face.

 **"Too realistic. There are artists in Malfeas that can achieve the same with the poorest materials, but there is no way the idiot can do the same. I think those were once living guys, before he changed them. Probably another power from She Who Lives in Her Name."**

 _'At least he chose valid targets.'_ If, as he suspected, this guy spent his time hunting down Britannian soldiers (in active duty, because they were all wearing uniforms) then there must be news about it. Not of public channels of course, because that would stink of weakness. He will need to hack into the military network at the first opportunity to see about this and the repercussions of his little stunt with Clovis.

Zero took out his phone and dialed the number Rakshata gave him, hoping she was on Earth already.

Luckily she answered. _"Hello? Who's this?"_

"It's me, Zero."

 _"Oho, if it isn't our young Marshal. Sorry, but I'm still packing everything up for transoceanic travel. That reminds me, I'll need a large space suitable both as a laboratory and as Knightmare production line."_

"I'll see what I can do." Maybe Ruben still had some abandoned but still usable installations. "But I haven't called about that. Do you remember when we first met, and Akito asked you if I was telling the truth? I assume that means you have the ability to tell if someone is lying or not?"

 _"Yes, it's the Charm 'Factual Determination Analysis'. It's one of the most basic Charms of She Who Lives in Her Name."_

 _'They have names?!'_

 **"To better categorize them, yes. Again, I think it's quite silly but do you want to say that to the Yozi's face?"**

Now he really wanted to learn how his own powers were called. Later. "And to use your telekinesis, one needs to know it first?"

 _"Name's Mind-Hand Manipulation, but yes. Want me to teach you? As a Fiend you should be able to do it even without formal approval from the respective Yozi."_

"Tempting. Maybe when you come here I can find the time. Thank you, Rakshata, that helps immensely." He ducked as a toaster flied in his direction. "Hopefully, anyways." Ending the call Lelouch turned towards the prisoner, who appears to _finally_ be calming down, going by what his Essence sight was telling the Fiend.

Going over to the cheap coffee table that the Anuhles have bound his prisoner to, Zero looked at him as he glared back. "So it's to be torture then, vampire? I'll never crack!" Lelouch resisted the urge to just shoot him and be done with it.

"I am hoping very much that among your powers you have the one that lets you discern if someone is lying to you. If you do, I strongly suggest you use it now. Let me make something very clear." He made a small pause to give the man time to process his words. "I am **not** a vampire. I am here regarding the deal you made with our masters. You aren't following through, and they aren't happy about it."

He looked at Lelouch suspiciously, then suddenly his expression turned to one of surprise, then to a smile.

"The deal where you agreed to-"

"Finally you guys came!" He interrupts him, making a 180° from angry to happy. "Do you have any idea how long I waited?"

"You have it. Great." Lelouch breathed a sigh of relief. "But didn't your Un-"

"Listen to me man: you and the chick should come with me! Together we can find and kill that vampire no problem!"

"What are yo-!"

"A real vampire, with fangs, drinking blood and everything! Your big-ass spiders too should come too! Where can I get some too?"

 _'Aaah...what a conundrum. I really can't decide what to do next.'_

"I'll need a new set of stakes of course. You guys should get one too."

 _'Do I facepalm or do I shoot him in the fucking head?'_

 **"Boss. While I fully agree, losing a Green Sun Prince in your first official mission as Marshal would reflect badly on your reputation, no matter how justified."**

 _'Damn, you're right.'_ Drawing upon his full will Lelouch suppressed the bubbling anger. "Of course, if there are really vampires out there then this is a matter that must be addressed. But first we should talk about a few things." He looked him in the eyes. "If I let you free, can we sit down and talk like civilized people instead of fighting?"

"Sure! My name is Murakami Akio by the way."

"A...pleasure. Call me Zero."

Milly took a pose. "And I am Storm-Passion!"

"No you're not!"

Once Akio was free, and Milly was brought out of her delusions, they all sit down at the kitchen table. The demons were positioned inside and around the house to keep guard. "So, let's start with the most important issue: why you failed to report. You _have_ made a deal to serve the Yozis and then woke up about an hour later, naked and with superpowers, right?"

"Yep!" Akio grinned. "There was this big-ass spider-thingy that suddenly popped up and said I'll get the power to do anything I want if I agreed to serve something called the Yozi." He crossed his arms and tilted his head. "Then I had the strangest dream about green fire and crystal balls before waking up. And I was on fire - green fire! - but I didn't burn!"

"It's called Anima, and it's perfectly natural." Lelouch folded his fingers. "And then what happened? You should have received instructions about what to do?"

"By who man?" Akio looked at himstrangely. "The spider-thingy was nowhere to be found when I woke up! I heard nothing about it afterwards, so after a while I forgot. What took you guys so long?"

"Didn't your Unwoven Coadjutor tell you anything?"

"My what?"

"Your-" Zero paused, trying to not sound like a loon with his next words. "That spider, it talked with you right? Was that the only time you heard its voice? Did you ever hear it in your head without being visible?"

"Hearing voices in my head? Come on, that only happens to crazy people."

 **"Oooh, I think I know what happened. Poor bastard."** Seyrun winced. **"The demon that held his Exaltation, I mean. Even if the process went well, the supermote has likely damaged or severely weakened him."**

 _'So his Unwoven Coadjutor is dead?'_

 **"No. Its soul should still be there, or the process wouldn't have worked. But its mind is likely damaged and cannot interact with his Prince."**

 _'Damn. Can this be cured?'_

 **"I have no idea."**

Damn. It meant he had to basically tell Akio **everything**. He sighed in exasperation. "I see I need to start from the beginning. What I am going to say will likely sound crazy, but please don't interrupt me until I am done. You can tell if I am lying or not anyways."

And so Lelouch told Akio of the Yozis, how they created the world before being betrayed by the gods. How the supernatural was real, what kind of deal he made and what was expected of him. He also tell him of his plans for Japan. "Any questions?"

"You had me at 'destroying the Britannian empire' and 'my own personal palace'!" Akio took Zero's hand and shook it vigorously. "I'm on it Zero! let's kick some Brit's ass!"

 _'Don't shoot him, don't shoot him, don't shoot him.'_ "I'm glad you're taking this extremely well. Welcome, new Peer of the Althing." He returned the handshake. "Now, let's talk about this 'vampire' you meet."

"Okay! Well, a few days ago I was in the middle of one of my anti-Britannian raids: all patrols have started to bring Knightmares along, so I decided for a change to target a bar Britannian soldiers frequent."

Lelouch nodded. A crude method, but it worked.

"Then I heard screams coming from an alley. I went to see what was going on, and saw a lot of soldiers killed and mutilated by oversized swords. And there was this woman wreathed in black flames, with long fangs, who was biting down on a guy's neck and sucking his blood!" Akio gesticulated wildly. "That was a vampire alright! So I made some woken stakes on the fly and attacked her! We fought for a while but then she suddenly escaped. I've been searching for her since then!"

He hummed in understanding. "This woman, what did she look like? Completely human save for the fangs? Or did she have another strange characteristic?"

"Strange characteristic? Uhm..." Akio's eyebrow narrowed in concentration. He licked his lips. "Now that I think about it she had something strange on her forehead: there was a black ring there, and it was bleeding! It didn't look like a tattoo."

A black ring on the forehead? A...Caste Mark?

 **"A perfect golden ring is the Mark of the Solar Night Caste, while Adorjan's red one slowly rotates."** Seyrun mused. **"And...Cecelyne's Law, now I remember! Ghosts and other creatures of death cannot breathe Essence while in Creation, but one of their alternate methods to regain it is...by drinking the blood of living beings!"**

 _'You mean-?!'_

 **"That we found the Exalts of the Neverborn? It could be!"**

Lord Ligier must be informed immediately. "I believe you're right Akio." Zero stood up. "Whatever this woman is, if a true vampire or just a creature from the Underworld that resembles one, it's obvious she's a threat. It's also possible she's not alone. Soon more of our fellow Peers will come here: once we've amassed enough members we'll go on a massive hunt. To kill her, or capture her if our masters so wish."

"Sweet!" He grinned, doing a fist-bump. "Do we go to Malfeas now?"

"You will need to do it, if only to find out what your current mission is. But first, as I was tasked to, I will need to instruct you on everything you need to know as a Peer." Lelouch paused. "Also, how to speak Old Realm, the language spoken in Malfeas."

"Eeeh? Come on Zero, do I really need to? It will take me months to learn a whole different language!"

He stared at Akio for a few seconds before raising two fingers. "Akio, you're an Exalt. There is more to the package than superpowers." He lowered one finger. "One of the extra benefits is this: that there are some abilities you can learn immediately like you practice them your whole live."

He lowered the second finger. "Another, that all other abilities that aren't raised immediately only need at most a **week** to do so."

Akio stared at Zero with a blank expression before his lips split into the bigger, happier grin ever seen. "Being an Exalt rocks!" He did another fist-bump.

"So you fully accept your role as an Infernal Exalted?" Akio nodded. "In that case..."

Llouch reached to the mask and activated the mechanism, making the back slide open. With a flourish he removed it, exposing his face. "I am Zero, Marshal of the Althing Infernal. But in the human world I go by the name of Lelouch Lamperouge."

Milly removed her mask. "And I'm Milly Ashford! Both here and in Malfeas! Nice to meet you!"

Akio blinked. "You're Britannians?"

"Yes. And with no love for our former homeland." Lelouch 's eyes narrowed. "Is there a problem with that?"

Akio seemed to contemplate something for a few seconds before suddenly snapping his fingers. "But of course! Between fighting for Britannia and for Hell, the second is obviously the better deal! You wouldn't get that much even by becoming a Prince!"

 _'Oh, if only you knew.'_ The ex-Prince rolled his eyes. "Sure. I joined Malfeas because Britannia is full of backstabbing, treacherous misers while in Hell, instead, I have my own personal palace and all the drugs and demon hookers I want."

"Unlimited drugs and hookers?! Why did you mention the best bits only now man?"

Lelouch's face smashed into the table.

* * *

"Ahahahahah!" C.C. rolled over the bed, holding her belly. "Ahahahaha!"

"I am happy to see you find my misery amusing." Lelouch deadpanned.

"Ahaha-That guy! Ahaha." She snickered loudly before calming down and sitting up, the plushie of some weird blob-like thing in her arms. "That guy, is a real piece of work. I heard the Yozis are incredibly evil, but I think they meant 'crazy' if this is the type of servants they attract."

He stared back with a blank expression.

C.C. kept smiling. "Where is he now?"

"There was the risk the 'vampire'-" He air-quoted. "Could track him back to his house, so I made him transfer to a decent apartment close to Ashford Academy. It will be useful to keep a safehouse and a place for other Infernals to stay that is close."

"Is that wise?" She asked.

"It will be when I can send him to Malfeas and he becomes the Yozis' problem." He sat at his desk and started the computer. "This reminds me..."

Accessing the web Lelouch put to use every skill he has refined during the past few years, and the power of Ebon Dragon, to find out everything relevant to three topics: the repercussion of the Pureblood's falling, Akio's activities as vigilante, and the first mission of the Black Knights.

The results were astounding, his own program managing to hack into military-grade networks with them none the wiser.

As predicted Clovis' investigations didn't find any concrete proof of the Pureblood's supposed treason. It didn't stop Lelouch's half-brother from twisting the truth to his complete advantage. Those that were most close to Villetta Nu has been accused of complicity, even if unwillingly, and demoted to simple pilots. Since this included the Pureblood's leader, an ex-Margrave called Jeremiah Gottwald, it meant the Pureblood faction was virtually no more. The media has been fed a version of the whole story that painted Clovis in a favorable light. His reputation in Japan received a hard blow but was still standing.

The same could not be said of his reputation in the homeland: both his senseless massacre of Shinjuku and the Pureblood Incident lowered it greatly. If not among the commoners, among the nobility. Still, even if not toppled Clovis has been shaken badly: the whole Area has gone back to sleep, but its wounds had yet to heal.

It was time to tear them open.

Finding info on Akio's activities was slightly more difficult since it was a minor topic, but soon he found many reports about Britannian soldiers and sympathizers being found brutally murdered. The coroner declared that the most likely hypothesis was that they were killed by a large and hard object, either metal or stone, being used by an incredibly strong person. Who should have been dead several times over, because there was a lot of blood and fired bullets at each scene.

 _'Okay. On one hand, this guy is a butcher.'_ Lelouch closed the window. _'On the other, this is exactly the type of talent the Reclamation needs. I can't use him in the Black Knights, but as an autonomous agent he's perfect. Paired with someone with brains of course.'_

He took out Ohgi's list and resumed his work, cross-referencing all the listed names. It was easier than his earlier hacking and soon he had the ideal target for the first official mission of the Black Knights.

* * *

[1] To get an idea of what it looks like, check the anime of "Witchblade".

* * *

Charms Database:

 **From Oramus**

 **Calculating Dho-Hna Angles:** You can attack from angles that don't exist, surprising your enemies every time!


	11. Chapter 11

Euphemism: (Can Lelouch derive any essence or whatnot from the thoughts of his fangirls?) Yes he can, though he would gladly do without it.

 **Dislaimer:** I do not own Code Geass, which is propriety of Studio Sunrise, and neither do I own Exalted, which is property of White Wolf Publishing.

This fiction originally appeared as a quest-style story on the forum Sufficient Velocity. As such do not be confused by the strange structure.

* * *

 **Black As Night - Act 2**

{●}

From within the depths of Lelouch's soul-structure Seyrun breathed out a sigh. Not that he really needed to, being incorporeal and all that, but old habits die hard. He may existed only as a consciousness using Lelouch's senses to interact with the outside world without being able to control the lad's body, and had his own body only inside dreams, but he still worried. After all his life now depended on Lelouch, and while the lad had, despite his eccentricities, a healthy survival instinct...his absurd luck often put him in situations that would have given Seyrun a hearth attack, were he still capable of having one.

Seriously, meeting four Unquestionables and a Yozi, the Demon City at that, in less than _five_ days?

For a demon such as him, who pursued his ambitions with great care to never attract the attention of Citizens and above, meeting the Kings and Queens of Hell was a terrifying experience. The most he dreamed of was being recruited by a Citizen after his own organization grew large enough, and he would have been fine with that: war is eternal in Malfeas, and good skills are valued by everyone. With a bit of luck he could have left a great legacy behind.

Until he was selected to carry an Exaltation. Well, his stupid boys were still there with him so his ambition didn't become impossible, just in need of a bit more of guile and patience. He was an Anuhle, he had plenty of patience.

"Hehehe..."

"Mmh...mmh..."

"Mh?" Seyrun strained his hearing. "What's this...music?"

"Ciao-o-o!"

Hearing a voice from behind he turned around by instincts, not yet realizing such a phenomenon should have been impossible in his condition.

"By the Ebon Dragon's whiskers!"

Not that it stoped Seyrun from being surprised.

* * *

A Britannian Noble who was up to many illicit businesses, and was paying the police to look the other way. The security around his villa was heavy, but success would give Zero a huge publicity boost. It was what Lelouch created the Black Knights for. It was also a good method to separate the worthy from the trash, testing his men in a grand baptism of blood...though, those reports of demon wards in the Noble's villa made the Fiend wary he could be a Dragonblooded or have one in his service, but that just meant he was probably hiding something valuable. Leouch had the Anuhles for anything supernatural, and if push came to shove his last resort would be Milly and Akio lying ne-

 **"Boooosssss!"**

He put down the pen. "Seyrun, there is no need to shout. I hear you pe-"

 **"Do the lucid dream thing. Now."**

Lelouch frowned at Seyrun's voice. If he didn't know any better, he would say the demon overwhelmed by so many different emotions he could not decide on which one to fall into. But surely...? "Is it necessary? I haven't finished yet."

 **"You need to see this yourself."**

Okay, that was worrying: what could have spooked Seyrun so much?

To Lelouch's relief C.C. left while he was working. Skipping his usual rituals altogether he lied down on his bed, closed his eyes and used his most successful technique to quickly fall asleep: reciting Shakespeare's Othello from memory, imagining he was back in the garden of Aries Villa where he first read it.

It worked like a charm, and when his nose catches the smell of flowers Lelouch opened his eyes to find himself in the garden, sitting at a table for afternoon outside tea parties. He closed the book and put it down. "Alright Seyrun, what did you want to show m-"

"Papa-a-a!"

Something collided with his sternum, sending the ex-prince tumbling and rolling on the grass floor until he stopped, supine and with a weight on his chest.

"Papa is here! Papa! I finally meet you Papa-a-a!" Hearing the young and chirpy voice he never heard before Lelouch's eyes snapped open.

There, sitting on his chest was a slim, young girl the same age as Nunnally with a smile that made her resemble a cartoonishly cute mouse, wearing a purple sailor uniform. She had long, tidy white hair with a pale blue, purple, pink, green, and yellow tint...that moved. On closer inspection he noticed it was not the tint that moved but the hairs themselves, quivering from top to bottom like the surface of a waterfall. A moment later he realized they were not hair at all, but rather a liquid like opalescent quicksilver.

However, the most glaring proof of her not being human was the eyes: the pupils were concentric rings of golden, red and orange switching color between themselves like a neon light, the lack of any ordinate rhythm in the process causing a sort of sting in his eyes.

Lelouch was about to ask just who or what she was-

"Now, now dear sister. Please get up: that position is entirely inappropriate."

The music started. It was like a slow, puissant concert of soft piano music and wind instruments. At the same time the light in the area dimmed, the clear sky without sun darkening as if dusk had arrived suddenly.

The mysterious girl turned to the side, to address the speaker and pouted. "Do-o-on't wanna!" Lelouch followed her gaze.

For a moment the image was superimposed by another, making him blink. When he re-opened his eyes he realized there were glaring differences: the flawless skin was of the purest white instead of black, while her dress was the color of obsidian. The raven tresses were the same though, if shorter.

The new girl's eyes were closed in concentration as she played an elaborate transverse flute made of black and glowing green bone, the indistinct shapes in the night-landscape behind her giving the impression there were many hidden beings following her music by playing instruments.

There was a flurrying sound, and two small bat wings spread from behind her back. At the same time she stopped playing, even if the background music kept on, her eyes opening to reveal glowing pupils of eerie green witch-light.

With a languid smile the girl walked up to the first one, put her hands under her armpits and lifted her up. Then, keeping a perfect equilibrium even with a thrashing little girl in her arms, she performed a curtsy. "Dear progenitor, please forgive my little sister's unsightly behavior."

"I'm not the little sister! You are! I'm older than you!" The little girl protested with indignation.

"Uh uh uh, you're quite short for being a big sister."

"Wa-a-ah! Meanie!"

"What is this...?" Having finally regained the use of his voice Lelouch stood up. He knew he should be angry, but for some reason he are unable to muster any type of negative reaction towards those girls. "Who are you two?"

Both girls blinked, as if honestly confused by your question. They looked at each other and nodded: the girl in black put down the colorful girl, who quickly went to the former's side.

""We're you!"" They say in unison. ""We're also family!""

"What? You're not making any sense!"

"Now do you get why you had to see this for yourself?" Seyrun skittered down from the wall, shuddering when the little girl waved at him. "This is soooo outside my competence it isn't even funny."

Lelouch pointed at the two girls. "Who are they? Isn't this part of my soul? Shouldn't you and me be the only ones able to access it?"

"Yes. Which should give you an inkling of what's going on." At Lelouch's questioning glare Seyrun elaborate. "Now, I am not expert so I could be wrong. I hope I'm wrong, because this is downright heresy. I think...I think your soul budded."

"My soul _what?_ "

"Remember how Yozis and Unquestionables have multiple souls? I think...Cecelyne forgives me." He gulped. "I think that, by taking on the powers of the Yozis, you started a similar process. Those two?" He pointed to the two girls. "They appeared some time after you unlocked your last powers."

"That is correct." The raven-haired girl said, the flute resting near her lips without playing. "I was born from the power of Sacred Ebon Dragon." She blowed a single note. "And mother's love."

"I was born from the power of Sacred Oramus!" The silver-haired girl flailed her arms, jumping from one foot to the other. "And I'm the oldest! Really-y-y!"

"From a human perspective, I guess they're your daughters?" Seyrun shrugged hopelessly. "So...congratulations Boss, you're a father? Is that how humans say it?"

"...Ehehe. I see. Ehehe." Lelouch began to giggle, but both his smile and eyes were hollow. "Excuse me for a moment."

He ran into the palace.

A few moments later there was the sound of something crashing, someone yelling in pain, a wide variety of curses, what sounded a bit like a head impacting wood, another loud crash, loud pleadings for mercy, and silence.

Seyrun stared with wide eyes.

"Papa is funny!" The short girl giggled.

A loud crash came from the palace, curses, yelling, cries of agony, more crashes, the sound of breaking glass, shouting, clashing steel, and finally deranged laughter.

Lelouch crawled back, clothes torn as if someone savagely bit them. He grabbed Seyrun's face and pushed him to his level, staring at him with wide, crazy eyes. "Did you know this would happen?"

"No!" Seyrun protested. Then, more calmly: "I think nobody expected it. It's not as if something like the Green Sun Princes ever existed before..."

"How bad it is?"

"Showing signs of being like an Unquestionable? While I like to believe you have great value as Peer, I find it more probable they'll torture you to death. And then torture your ghost for eternity." He paused. "Or they may open you up to see how exactly it works before doing the torture part."

"Don't worry Papa!" The silver-haired girl's face appeared in front of Lelouch. Upside-down. Somehow, without them realizing it she moved into a handstand between him and Seyrun. "We will protect Papa from the bad guys!"

"Sister is right." The raven haired girl instead was sitting in seiza position to Lelouch's side. "You're our dear progenitor. Now and forever, we're on your side."

Of course. There was no one who Lelouch trusted more than himself.

He would have liked that parts of him didn't take life of their own and resembled girls though!

"Alright. Alright alright alright." He breathed deeply. In out. In out. "I can deal with this. Like everything else. I can. First-" He asked Seyrun, pointing at the girls. "Can their presence be detected?"

"It should be the same as me. Impossible to be perceived unless using machines to manipulate the soul."

"Good! You...Wait." Lelouch turned the girls. "What are your names?"

""We don't have names."" They both said.

He stammered. "What?"

"We were born only recently." The shorter girl replied with the tone of someone stating the obvious.

"As such, our identities are still not clearly defined." The taller girl put a hand over her chest and spread the other. "Dear progenitor, would you do us the honor of naming us?"

Naming them? But it was true he couldn't just refer to them as 'you' and 'the other one'. Calming down Lelouch sit down and began to think.

"I've decided." He spoke up after several minutes. "From now on, your names will be as such."

"Your name is...Anesidora." He said in an affectionate manner while ruffling the little girl's hair.

"While your name is...Sinnihtáre." He smiled at the black-haired girl.

* * *

"Kimbery's wrath, I feel a headache coming." Seyrun protested afterwards, the two sisters celebrating their new names by dancing and singing. "What I wouldn't do for a cigar."

"Recall the memory of one." Lelouch deadpanned, trying to ward off _his_ migraine.

"I never smoked a cigar strong enough to deal with what I am experiencing right now."

The annoyance in the demon's voice was what tips the Fiend off. "Oh, really? Let me help." He put one hand on the ground.

"What are yo-" Seyrun's voice was drowned out by the sound of inchoate Essence surging out of Lelouch's hand. Concentrating deeply he visualized the end goal, and tweaked it until the project resonated with the power of Oramus. The local reality twisted, flowing like clay by his will. Suddenly he stood up before pulling his hand upward.

What was left was a pillar of stone, upon which rested a box. He took the latter and presented it to Seyrun. "Here. Special cigars, all for you." He opened it, revealing a row of cigars.

Seyrun hesitatingly took one. "What makes them special?"

"I have no idea." Lelouch grinned at his shocked face before closing his eyes. "See you later."

He willed himself awake. The moment he opened his eyes in the real world the dream dissolved.

Save for the pillar of stone and the box of cigars.

* * *

The door of the Survival Game Club opened, and from it Lelouch entered, carrying a bag on his shoulder and a piece of paper in the other hand.

The President didn't stop polishing her gun, instead grinning fiercely at him. "Welcome back, Lamperouge."

"Nice to see you again, Miss Glass." He put the paper on the table next to her. "This is a formal authorization from the Headmaster for me to be part of two clubs at once."

Caitlin Tiffany Glass just laughed like a maniac while Lelouch went to his locker to retrieve his weapon.

"The President bet a lot of money on your return." One of the second-year members, a girl called Maya Kerrigan, cheerfully told him.

"Is that so?"

"Out of curiosity, what made you come back?"

He put the final bullet inside and closed the cartridge. "A lot of reasons."

Like the fact he had yet to win a game against that gun-demoness.

* * *

Lelouch brought the cup to his lips and drank the hot coffee, letting his gaze wander around as if annoyed. As such, to any external observer it was only a case that he lingered for a second more on the large villa on the other side of the street. _'What do you think?'_

 **"Those guards are good, but their movements are sloppy. They're only going through the motions."** Seyrun pointed out. **"There is no real tension. There hasn't been a break-in or other emergency for a long time."**

 _'This means their guard will be low. Good. And the villa is not a Manse. Now, if only I could look directly at this Marquess Anson.'_

 **"He isn't home yet?"**

 _'No. Unless he returns this evening, I'll have to postpone the ope-'_

"Hello there!" Someone suddenly sit down on Lelouch's table, in front of him. "What is a cutie like you doing sitting all alone?"

 _'Cutie?'_

He lowered the cup, and looked at the platinum blond woman with a nonplussed expression. "Drinking my coffee." He raised the cup to empathize his point.

"That's boring! See, wouldn't you prefer to do something more... _fun?_ " She bent forward on one elbow while her other hand slightly pulled her tube top down, revealing more of her cleavage. She winked while blowing him a kiss. "Big sister will take care of _e-ve-ry-thi-ng_."

Every spoken syllable of 'everything' felt like a digit closing around Lelouch's crotch, making him shudder. Then, in a moment of horrifying clarity, he realized what was happening. "Are you... _flirting_ with me?"

"Oh come on." She waved him off. "Like it has never happened to you before."

"..." He stayed silent, his ears turning slightly red.

"...Oh my Lu-God! It hasn't!" She covered her mouth with both hands and giggled. "That's, like, so cute! Kissing?"

"..."

"Holding hands?"

"..."

"Want to have your first time in all of them, and more?" She asked with a husky tone.

Lelouch slammed the cup down on the table and stood up. "I'm leaving."

"Wait wait wait!" She ran in front of him and held up both hands pressed together, as if asking for forgiveness. "Did I make you uncomfortable? Sorry about that, sometimes I get carried away. Can we start all over again?"

He stared at her right in the eyes, hoping to convey all of his annoyance like a spear through her obliviousness. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Nope. My room has only a single bed, and it gets lonely without anyone to share it."

 _'This loose woman!'_

He was about to call the police when she looked above his shoulder and froze. Turning very pale she nervously tugged her jacket's collar. "Ooops. Look at the time..Gottagobyecutie!" And just like that she ran out of the bar at full speed, like she had a pack of rabid dogs on her heels.

 _'What was that?!'_

 **"A female of your species trying a courtship displa-"**

 _'That was a rhetorical question!'_

* * *

"Oh, hey Zero." Ohgi greeted him. "I gathered everyone like you asked."

"Good. I hope you're ready gentlemen." Lelouch put the rolled up map on the table and opened it for everyone to see. "Because the first official operation of the Black Knights is tonight."

"Which is...?" Tamaki asked.

"A corrupt Britannian Noble who is involved in many illegal activities and is paying the police to look the other way. We're going to storm into his house, find the evidence of his crimes and air it for everyone to see."

"Seriously?!"

"Seriously." Zero's phone rang. He opened it and read the message. "I stand corrected: we're airing the evidence, together with the Noble himself. Because he just returned home."

* * *

The clock was approaching one o'clock. Outside the villa of Marquess Anson everything was peaceful, the stillness of the night being interrupted only by an armed guard walking around the perimeter.

 _"This is the plan. Kallen, Yoshitaka: you will board two of the Sutherlands and stay on stand-by inside trucks positioned near the villa. Hopefully they will not be needed, but it's best to be prudent. The others will hide near the perimeter, waiting for my orders. I will send the security guards to your locations, so that you can ambush them quickly and silently."_

 _"And how are you going to do that?"_

 _"It's simple, Tamaki."_

The guard reached a blind zone in the cameras field, and was surprised to see another guard waiting for him, an helmet covering his face. "What's going on? My shift has not ended yet."

"Oh, nothing much." The guard's eyes widened at hearing a voice completely identical to his own, and they widened even more when the helmet was raised and the guard ended up staring at himself. "Just an invasion."

 _"I happen to be_ very _good at disguise."_

Before the guard could react Lelouch took out the Stormwand and fired. The charge hit him right in the chest, unleashing the electrical current into his body. He had a spasm for an instant before falling to the ground, unconscious. Calmly Lelouch took off from him the rifle and other accessories like the radio before an Anuhle appeared and dragged away the body.

Setting everything into its proper place the disguised Lelouch resumed the late guard's patrol. Once in front of the main gate however he made a turn and walked inside the premises, flashing his ID to the guards stationed there. Who just gave him a quick glance before shrugging and immediately forgetting his existence.

While it made his job easier Lelouch hoped not all guards were so lazy, because that would just be an insult to his intelligence.

The dematerialized Anuhles that only him could see took the lead, guiding him towards the central security room while looking out for anything that might result in undue scrutiny. He had to hide a few times to avoid another patrol, but soon he was in front of the security room. He waited ten seconds, giving the demonic spiders time to take position, and then he acted.

"Sir, I have something to report!" Zero said as he walked into the villa's central security room, closing the door behind him.

"Well then, out with it! What is so damn important you had to come in here and disrupt our coffee break?" the apparent head of security barked.

"The villa is under attack by giant spiders!" Lelouch exclaimed, his voice dead serious.

"What!? Don't be absu-" _*glomp*_ he was interrupted as an Anuhle materialized, tackling him from out of nowhere and digging its fangs into the man's throat. As the Anuhles swiftly took care of the guards in the room Lelouch went to the main console to begin his assault in earnest.

First he sent all feeds of other camera watching posts in a loop, so that they won't see anything out of the ordinary. Then he cut off all lines of communication with the outside and emergency systems, sending a message to the nearby police station that it was due to maintenance work being done. It would not fool them forever, but it will be enough.

That done he took out the radio and selected a certain channel. "R-1, are you ready?"

 _"Zero?"_

"No, I am Cornelia Li Britannia." He sneered. "I said: are you ready?"

 _"Y-Yes!"_

"Good." He went through the cameras and found the nearest patrol. Then he grabbed the microphone and contacted them, imitating the head of security's voice. "I saw something move near the alley on your left. Go check it out."

"Yes Boss!" They obeyed the order immediately. Lelouch watched with satisfaction as his men, wearing the Black Knight's uniform complete with beret and visor, gun them down without the smallest noise. Thank the Yozis for silencers.

He repeated the same process many times, sending the guards into ambushes or out of the way as his forces infiltrate the villa. "Is everyone in?" He asked at the end.

 _"Yes Zero."_ Ohgi replied.

"Good." He stood up and shed his disguise, revealing Zero in all his glory. "Secure the perimeter. Subdue or eliminate all remaining targets. Make sure nothing that may appear suspicious is visible from the outside. Search everywhere for any document related to what we're searching for." Lelouch adjusted his suit's neck. "I'll go after the Marquess."

 _"Alone?"_

"Don't worry, I'm well prepared." _'And not at all alone.'_ he mentally added. "You, on the other hand, should keep an eye out for anything unusual. I have no proof, but there is the possibility the Marquess or someone in his employ has special training. I'm talking about special forces, those guys sent behind enemy lines to wage guerrilla warfare. Extremely dangerous even when outnumbered. Be prepared to fall back if needed and notify me in the event of such an encounter. I'll contact you again when everything's clear."

 _"Alright Zero. Be careful."_

He put the radio in his pocket before leaving the room, the Anuhles following after hm. Reaching deeper into the villa he walked into the Marquess' private quarters. _'Nobody's around.'_ He thought, entering a large corridor decorated with hunting trophies. They were all of dangerous animals like tigers and alligators. _'Perfect.'_

 _CRASH!_

The wall on the other side of the corridor shook, plaster falling down like fine powder.

 **"You were saying?"** Seyrun snarked before turning serious. " **Boss, I think someone's fighting. And not with guns, but with old good metal."**

 _'Fighting?'_ It was not one of his men, so the only possibility left was- _'Someone was there before us?'_

 **"It's not impossible."**

Uhm. May be troublesome. Or, it may be an opportunity.

Only one way to find out.

Watching his steps Lelouch reached the door at the end and opened enough for him to pass and sneak past it. He found himself on a platform looking down a large hall. Slowly he reached the rails and looked down.

The sight was out of a fairy tale: in the middle of the hall there was a man in a knight's uniform, his large and fit body surrounded by a faint yellow and white light. He was also swinging around an hammer of white stone as big as him like it weighed nothing.

But weighed a lot it must have, because his opponent was dodging every blow with great care. Glowing softly with a pale silvery light, an actual cat-woman hybrid with white fur and glowing silver tattoos tried to retaliate by attacking with sharp-looking nails, but her blows didn't seem to be much effective: there were many bleeding cuts on the man's body, but only a few seemed really serious.

 _'Is that what I think it is?'_

 **"A Dragonblooded fighting a Lunar? Damn straight it is. The Dragon most likely works for the Noble, while the Warden was probably sneaking around until the big guy found her."**

Well, wasn't that interesting? For the time being the enemy of his enemy was his friend, and it was likely in both of Lelouch and the Lunar's enlightened self-interest to work together.

 **"If I may Boss-"** Seyrun told him. **"I suggest using five of the boys for a simultaneous attack before having them fall back."**

 _'Will it suffice? That Dragonblooded looks quite sturdy even without armor.'_

 **"Even one hit will suffice. Have you forgotten?"** The demon chuckled. **"Us Anuhles are poisonous."**

Oh? Well then, that made things easier.

Lelouch drew his Hellcaster in one hand, while silently giving hand signals to the Dark Green Fangs. From his lofty position above the two combatants he waited a few seconds until his target was turned away from him by the dance of death he was engaged in.

Then he took aim and fired three shots at the unsuspecting Dragonblooded knight's back while he was distracted by dodging the Lunar's latest attacks.

 _BANG! BANG! BANG!_

Taken completely by surprise the Knight staggerd as the three bullets buried themselves into his back. His eyes widened in surprise, as did those of the Lunar.

Of course, that was when five Anuhles materialized in a circle around Lelouch's foe and sunk their fangs into his body before jumping back. Satisfied with the result Zero began to slowly descend the stairs, leaving his Hellcaster in clear view as the Anuhles skittered back to stand around him.

Having temporarily forgotten about his previous opponent the Dragonblooded turned to face the Fiend, eyes glowering with hate. "And who the hell are you supposed to be?"

"Me?" Zero put one hand over his chest and tilted his head sideways. "I am sorry to say this, but there is no need to tell you." Under the mask he smiled condescendingly. "After all, the poison is going to kill you in the next thirty seconds."

The Knight opened his mouth, but what comes out was a gush of blood. Panic briefly appeared on his face before he roared in outrage and charged at the black-clad figure, giant hammer at the ready. He took five steps before his body was wracked by a fit of violent coughing, more blood coming out of his mouth. Still, he stood.

Lelouch took aim and shot, blowing a hole through his forehead. He blinked a final time before his body went slack and fell to the ground, the hammer landing next to him.

"Uuh.." He turned to look at the Lunar, who was watching him and the Anuhles with a mix of wariness and worry. "Am I next?"

"It depends." He tilted his head towards the fallen Knight. "Do you work for the owner of this place, as this one obviously did?"

"...No?"

"Then I have no reason to do so." He twirled the Hellcaster once before putting it back into its sheath. "Though, I didn't expect someone else to sneak inside at the same time as me."

The humanoid feline looked at him for a few seconds before seemly reaching a conclusion. She glowed briefly as her body began to transform: her size lessened and the feline characteristics receded, leaving behind a young woman with platinum blond ha-

Lelouch's eyes widened under the mask. _'The loose woman!'_ Indeed, she was the same shameless one who tried to flirt with him this afternoon.

"Thanks for the save then!" She gave you a thumb up while grinning cheerfully. "Name's Anja. Who are you suppose to be, Mr. Tall, Dark and Mysterious?"

 **"Boss, you have a mask: it's improbable she recognized you. It's best to act nonchalantly."**

 _'Good thinking.'_ Suppressing his surprise Zero raised an arm before spreading it to the side, letting his cape flutter. "I am...Zero! The noble that lives here is responsible for many crimes, and I have come to bring him to justice!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Sorry to say this, Zero, but the whole 'superhero' gig isn't going to work well if you use demons as sidekicks." She looked at the Dragonblooded. "Even if they are effective."

"Thank for the warning, but don't worry about me: for public relations, I have my human subordinates that are currently sweeping through the rest of the villa." The eyebrow moved higher. "And I am a revolutionary, not a superhero."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "I told you why I am here, so allow me to pose the same question to you: what is the reason for your presence here?"

She slightly scratched her cheek with one finger, letting Lelouch realize her nails were those of a cat. "Weeell, I suppose telling you can't hurt. Basically, my teacher said he wanted to see if I am ready or some shit like that, and assigned me a solo mission." Her eyes narrowed. "Apparently, the guy who owns this place moved a lot of things from a Wyld zone here, and I need to find out if he'd doing anything unsavory."

 **"Things from a Wyld Zone? Uhm, I suppose that there is a risk of Wyld taint spreading around, but how would that be useful?"**

 _'Only one way to find out.'_ "Interesting. I don't believe our goals are mutually exclusive." He spread his right arm forward, pointing to the other end of the hall. "Care to join me?"

"Don't mind if I do." She grinned cheerfully.

"Splendid." Then he remembered the giant hammer and pointed at it. "Do you want that?"

"It's all yours."

He nodded before signaling the Anuhles: two of them lifted the hammer and together with the other three fell into line behind him. Lelouch began to walk away, Anja following while keeping a certain distance.

Smart that. He approved.

One thing he noted as they walked through the rest of Marquess Anson's private quarters was that the man must have a real passion for the hunt, because there were trophies everywhere.

"Is that an elephant?" Anja wondered aloud, staring at the head of the great beast fixed on the wall.

"How quaint." Lelouch scoffed before walking past it without a second thought.

One of the Anuhles walking ahead took a peek behind a corner. "Boss, there are two armed guys guarding a door."

"Must be the Marquess's room." Zero made a signal, and two Anuhles crawled to the ceiling and past the corner. When he heard two muffled cries he turned around the corner, ignoring the two corpses in favor of reaching for the door and slamming it open.

"What the-Aaah!" The man sleeping in the bed had just enough time to wake up before two spiders jumped on him.

Five seconds later they deposited him on Zero's feet, tied up with his own sheets. "Marquess Anson, I presume?" He asked while looking down at him.

"What is the meaning of this?! I will have you hanged for-" He screamed before abruptly stop as Lelouch pressed the Hellcaster's barrel against his head.

"I will ask this just once: where is your study?"

* * *

Five minutes later Lelouch was seated at the desk where Anson did most of his work, typing on his computer. When a big window warning popped up he turned to the Marquess. "The password?"

"Go to hell you damn Elevens." He spit.

And then he screamed when Anja stepped down hard on his crotch. "Shut up and spit it out." She sneered, drilling her foot even deeper.

"X-94758-N!"

"He's lying." Zero informed Anja.

She smiled sadistically before raising her leg. The nails of her foot morphed into long, wicked claws.

Anson's face lost all colors. "A-34254-W!"

He typeed the password and hummed in approval when the green words 'ALL CLEAR' appear. "There, was that so hard? He's all yours, Anja."

"Thanks, Zero!" While he was busy raiding the Marquess' digital archive the Lunar raised the noble by the neck of his shirt. "So, tough boy: I was almost killed by that gorilla looking after your stuff, and I am pretty miffed because of it." Her hand morphed into wicked claws. "So, unless you want me to spend the rest of the night removing every single centimeters of your skin, you are going to tell me what you did with all the Wyld-tainted stuff you brought."

Anson stood silent for a few seconds, staring with hate and fear at Anja before his lips slit into a crooked smile. "Oh, that? If you're so curious, what do you say about me showing you?"

"I say: lead the way." Anja put him down. Her hand went back to normal but she took out a knife. "But no tricks."

"Do you mind if I tag along?" Zero removed the USB from the computer and put it into his pocket. "I'm done here anyway."

* * *

 **Pantheon Souls:**

 **Anesidora, the Exuberant Genius:** Lelouch's strategic genius given form by the power of Oramus. She looks like Shiro from No Game No Life.

 **Sinnihtáre, the Eternal Night of Grace:** Lelouch's indulgence given form by the power of Ebon Dragon. She looks like Dead Master from Black Rock Shooter.

 **AN:** the Pantheon Souls came from a set of homebrew Charms, and differ from those found in the Broken-Winged Crane in that are available at lower essence. The two (for now) Souls of Lelouch were created by the players of the original SV thread.


	12. Chapter 12

**Dislaimer:** I do not own Code Geass, which is propriety of Studio Sunrise, and neither do I own Exalted, which is property of White Wolf Publishing.

This fiction originally appeared as a quest-style story on the forum Sufficient Velocity. As such do not be confused by the strange structure.

* * *

 **Black As Night - Act 3**

{●}

"Do you know what is my greatest passion?" Anson began as they descended the spiral staircase. "It's hunting. I hunted lions in Africa, tigers in India and wolves in Area 1."

Lelouch rolled his eyes. "Why, were the sharks of the Imperial Court too tough for you?"

The noble ignored him. "I hunted so many beasts, and yet even the most dangerous ones after a while became utterly boring. There wasn't contest, I was just too skilled."

Anja made a vulgar gesture mimicking a certain male self-pleasuring action. Lelouch's right eyebrow twitched just as his lips rose into a grin.

Anson reached an armored door, typing a code to make it open. "That's when I thought: if a beast dangerous enough to be a challenge doesn't exist, why don't creating one myself?"

"What do you mea-!" Suddenly the lights turned on and a veritable cacophony of screams and screeches assaulted their ears, briefly stunning Anja and Lelouch. Anson took the chance to run away.

"Stop right the-!" The question died in Lelouch's throat as he finally saw what was inside the room.

Cages. A myriad of cages, each one containing a strange, deformed beast. There were dogs with two heads, snakes with fur, lions with tentacles instead of a tail and many more, all different. But one thing that they had in common were the pink, glowing crystal embedded into their bodies: Sakuradite.

"It wasn't easy, using the Wyld Taint to mutate the specimens in appropriate ways." Anson's voice rang out. Without wasting time Lelouch, Anja and the Anuhles ran in the direction it came from. "Until I discovered that Sakuradite not only absorbs the Taint, it replicates the effects! Thanks to it my research sped up greatly!"

"Can you just shut up!? You're fucking creepy!" Anja snarled.

While running Lelouch spotted a figure lying in a cage. An immobile, _humanoid_ figure.

Suddenly the revolutionary was glad the Black Knights weren't there, because when he was done Anson's body would be unable to be shown on TV.

They turned around a corner and the Marquess was there, standing in front of a cage larger than the rest, the inside hidden by darkness. "You're _dead_." Lelouch hissed, feeling anger bubbling under his skin like lava.

"No: **you** are dead!" Anson smiled like a loon before yanking open the cage. "Behold! My greatest success!"

Two large red eyes opened in the darkness, followed by a deep growl.

"Now come out my servant and kill my enemies!" He ordered while pointing at Lelouch and Anja.

In response to his order a maw larger than a full-grown man, and filled with razor-sharp fangs, came out of the darkness and closed around Anson's body.

"Wait, what are you doing? No stop I am your maste-EEEEAAARGH!" The Marquess screamed as he was dragged inside, his voice quickly replaced by loud chewing sounds.

But neither of them were of any relevance to Lelouch, because he could perfectly see what was inside the cage. "You've got to be kidding me." And yet he could not believe his eyes.

A giant, white-furred paw steps out, soon followed by another and the rest of the body the size of an elephant. It stood on all four, white fur covering its body save for the paws, face and the midriff.

"...I hate dogs so fucking much." Anja deadpanned.

"Me **too."** Seyrun and the Anuhles groaned at the same time.

The giant mutant poodle roared.

Everyone ran away.

They barely managed to reach the reinforced door and shut it behind them. The monster slammed into it as Lelouch and the others ran up the stairs, bending it outwards. The young Fiend didn't think it was going to resist for long.

 **"Boss! We need help!"**

 _'I know!'_ He snapped back. But he really had only two options. The first, to contact Akio and Milly, who he has positioned nearby in case something went wrong. Surely four Celestial Exalts and twenty demons together were enough to put down that monster without any casualties?

The second, to have the two Knightmares he brought with him shoot the monster to death.

He made a few counts before choosing the second option. As much as he was sure Akio could keep the monster busy, the Knightmares had ranged options and could deal much more damage in a shorter time. Anti-tank rounds ought to do the trick.

"Q-1, R-1, prepare an ambush! An ally and I are being pursued through the main corridor by a, err, a heavy unit! All other Black Knights, get clear!" He yelled into the radio.

Kallen responded quickly. _"Roger that Zero! What's following you?"_

The sound of the unspeakable nightmare roars loudly as he was about to respond, its voice going over the radio.

 _"...What was that?"_

"...proof that this world is neither sane or just. Just try to put it down quickly. It shouldn't have any ranged attacks, so keep your distance if you can. Position at these coordinates..." His forces would defeat this Wyld tainted beast, even as it shattered their expectations. Better them that his life.

"Please tell me your goons can deal with that!" Anja half-asked, half-plead.

"They have Knightmares!"

"That's great!"

There was a great crash, followed by the sound of heavy stomping.

"...provided they can get here quickly!" She screamed before redoubling her efforts to run.

He gulped before addressing the Anuhles. "Let's split up: take a different route and bring the Goremaul where Akio and Milly are hiding!"

"Yes Boss!" When the corridor crossed with another they turned to the right, while him and Anja kept running forward.

They have almost reached the main door when the monster dog burst through the one at the other end of the corridor. Not willing to risk it going after the Anuhles Lelouch took out his gun.

 _BANG!_

"GRAAAAAHH!"

"Congratulations genius!" Anja screamed as her and Lelouch ran into the garden.

"Gotta protect my investments!" He was relieved to see the two Sutherlands crouched down behind the largest trees, rifles at the ready.

 _BOOM!_

The monster dog literally flied outside, landing on all fours before standing up and roaring, blood flowing from where the Fiend hit it above the eye and hindering its vision.

The two Knightmares seemed to hesitate, as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"KILL THE FUCKING DOG!" Zero shouted into the radio. "SHOOTING FIRST, SHOCK LATER!"

That did the trick: Kallen and Yoshitaka took aim and fired. The rounds designed to punch through a Knightmare's plating ravaged the monster's flesh, tearing out huge chunks of flesh and, surprisingly, red blood. Shot from two different directions all over its body the monster howled in pain, moving forward on pure rage and force of will.

Then a burst of gunfire opened a hole into its head. Eyes rolling back it emitted a final gurgle and fell down, finally dead. Miraculously not one of the Sakuradite crystal detonated.

Danger averted Zero finally let go of the tension, both hands on his knees as he tried to get his breathing back under control. Meanwhile the Frame pilots and the other Black Knights came out and gathered in front of the massive corpse, staring slack-jawed.

"What the fuck?" Tamaki was the first to vocally state what was on everyone's mind. "Is that a giant mutated _poodle_?"

"Yes Tamaki, it's a giant mutated poodle." Lelouch sighed and straightened up, injecting venom into his words. "Marquees Anson turned out to be even more twisted than we thought. There is an actual bio-lab in the basement, full of many mutated creatures like this one, though luckily not as large."

"That freak!" Kallen punched her other hand's palm. "Where is he? I'll give him a piece of my mind."

He gestured to the corpse. "Inside the mutt's stomach. He thought to use it as a weapon, but overestimated its loyalty."

Many of the Black Knights gulped, their faces ashen. "Is something like this even possible?"

"Evidently. Though I can imagine many better uses for science than… _this_." He scoffed. "But enough of that. I have the evidence of the Marquess's crimes, but someone has to have heard the shots: we probably don't have much time. The experiments within are dangerous, we can't risk them falling into Britannia's hands. Tamaki!" Zero pointed at the male redhead. "Take someone and set the building on fire."

"Sure!" He grinned. "Heard the man? Bring the gasoline you slackers!"

"Ohgi. Take the rest of the men and paint the Black Knight's symbol, a list of the Marquess's crimes and anti-Britannia slogans on the walls outside the villa as we planned, but add 'Illegal Bio-Engineering', 'Human Experimentation', and 'Playing God' to the list of crimes. Do it as quickly as you are able."

"Yes Zero." He replied resolute.

"Kallen, Yoshitaka: use the Sutherlands to drag the monster's remains over to the walls for display."

"Alright Zero." The half-Britannian nodded before she seemed to remember something. "Who was the woman that was with you? The ally you mentioned? And where is she now?"

Now that Lelouch thought about it, Anja was nowhere to be seen. Where did she go?

 _'She didn't stop running even when the mutt dropped dead.'_ Seyrun informed him. ' _At this point who knows where she is.'_

Regrettable. She could have been a chance to find out how the Lunars' presence in Japan was organized. "Yes: she said she was a foreign spy investigating Anson's activities, and I believe her." Lelouch looked around before shaking his head. "She must have ended her mission. Nonetheless she wasn't with Britannia, of that I am sure."

"Uh, alright then. Let's get to work." Yoshitaka muttered, turning around to reach his Knightmare.

"Wait a moment." Zero stopped him and Kallen, hit by a sudden idea. "Those crystals in the monster's body...they're Sakuradite. Use the insulated gloves for Knightmare maintenance to take out a few and put them into a sealed box. I want to find out how it was possible for the Sakuradite to be used like that."

They nodded before getting to work. Once he was alone Lelouch gestured with his finger for one of the still dematerialized Anuhles to come closer. "There were humans in the lab, or something close enough. Go there and extricate any humanoids who seem like they might be saved: if they breathe, they're valid targets. Just wrap them in silk cocoons for now and discreetly get them out. However, prioritize your own escape if needed. Don't you dare die in the fire." He gestured to the villa. "Meanwhile two of you will remain nearby to watch the place and see if anyone discovers the bio-lab during the investigations of what happened. If you can either retrieve or destroy any data found in that time do it, but don't take unnecessary risks to do so. If you can't and someone discovers something, then tail them to find out where the data went."

They gave a signal of understanding before skittering off.

Lelouch sighed again. ' _This...was so weird.'_

 **"In Malfeas, it's a Moonday."**

 _'Lovely.'_

* * *

"Zero! You sneaky bastard!" Akio greeted him with a large smile, the Goremaul resting on his shoulder. "I saw everything! Why didn't you call me? That would have been so cool!"

"Was that really a giant poodle?" Milly asked with a crooked smile.

"Yes. Yes it was." Lelouch massaged his forehead. "Sorry Akio, I wanted to see if my men were competent enough. As an alternative, you can keep the hammer if you want."

"If I want? Man, this thing is too cool! Of course I want it!" He swung it before frowning. "But it's strange: it feels like something is missing, and I don't know what..."

"It's an artifact, you need to attune to it first." Lelouch explained.

The Slayer stared blankly at him.

"...Just pushes Essence into the hammer and leave it there."

He went back to smiling. "Now why didn't you say so from the start?"

 _'Because I forgot how stupid you are!'_ Lelouch thought in irritation. Just then the Anuhles that he sent to the lab returned. Empty-handed. His face turned blank. "No one?"

"No one." Cuabuhm confirmed. "They were all dead, unlike the other beasts. If you ask me, whatever they did is lethal to humans."

The Fiend sneered before clicking his tongue in disgust. Ignoring everything else he walked to the edge and looked down, his Exalted sight allowing him to see the burning villa of the late Marquess Anson, the firemen futilely trying to put out the fire.

 _'Charles Vi Britannia. Your kingdom is a rotting nest of poisonous, decadent vipers. I don't know if it was because of you or if it was already like this before you sit on the throne-'_

"But I swear! Just like I did seven years ago!" He shouted to the sky. "I WILL! DESTROY! BRITANNIA!"

* * *

The news of the attack at Anson Villa spread on the web like wildfire not even a hour after the fact. Despite the work of Britannia's censorship machine the macabre photos of the surrounding walls taken by bystanders were the subjects of constant debate, opinions ranging from simple fakes to conspiracy plots.

And then, exactly an hour and ten minutes after the fact, the most famous forums and major news stations received an anonymous file containing incredibly accurate photos, digital proofs that Marquess Anson was guilty of numerous crimes, bribery of the police among them, and a video:

 _"To all who are watching this. Fear us, or rally behind us as you see fit! We are the Black Knights!"_

As the voice spoke the symbol of the Black Knights appeared on the screen.

 _"We of the Black Knights stand with all those who have no weapons to wield...regardless of whether they be Japanese, Britannians or any other nationality! Marquess Gregory Anson has been found guilty of crimes not only against the law, but human rights themselves! He sought to hide from judgement with money and even dared to play God; therefore he has been punished!"_

The symbol was replaced by the figure of Zero.

 _"I am Zero! The Leader of the Black Knights! I will not repudiate battle on a fair and level field, but neither will I tolerate a one-sided massacre of the weak by the strong. The only ones who should kill are those who are prepared to be killed! Wherever oppressors abuse their power by attacking those who are powerless, we shall appear again, no matter how mighty or formidable our foe may be!"_

 _"Those of you with power, fear us! Those of you without it, rally behind us! We, the Black Knights, shall be the ones who stand in judgment of this world!"_

Unknown to the citizens of Area Eleven, the same file was sent to all the Areas, the Homeland and every other nation of the world.

* * *

Inside a castle on the border of France and Germany, headquarters of the W-0 Unit, a group of people stared with wide eyes at the video played on screen.

"Is this the guy we are supposed to help?" Anna Clément asked.

Leila could only nod silently.

"People with guts like him, they're either madmen or revolutionaries." Claus Warwick commented with an intrigued tone. "Seeing how this was sent all over the world, I'm betting on the latter."

Akito was grinning like a shark that smelled blood, such that the other pilots and the rest of the staff gave him a wide berth.

"Commander! Reporting!" Oscar Hamel walked into the room and made a military salute. "It has been confirmed by General Gene Smilas. We're going to Area Eleven!"

Akito erupted into a cruel laugh.

* * *

"There isn't even a single mention of me. Meanies." Anja pouted.

"Considering your contribution, or more precisely lack of it, I can't fault them." The cat mercilessly commented. "At least the Wyld trafficking has ended."

He rested his head on his paws, tail moving lazily. "Zero, huh? I wonder..."

* * *

"As expected of Lelouch-sama!" Kaguya exclaimed with stars in her eyes.

* * *

"So Sakuradite can absorb and replicate Wyld energies?" Rakshata read the e-mail before looking back at the screen. "Well, I suppose it's something worth looking into."

* * *

"...Is that a giant poodle?"

"Apparently."

"Did you-"

"No. Even if I wanted them to make me a giant monster, I wouldn't ask for it to be a **poodle** of all things."

"So you don't want a giant monster?"

"...It's an idea worth considering. I will ask Second if First can think of something."

* * *

"Lelouch?"

"Quiet!" The raven-haired youth whispered to Suzaku. "What do you want?"

"What, exactly, are we doing here?" He whispered back, Rivalz nodding to express his own interest in the answer to said query.

"It's simple." He peeked around a corner, looking out for witnesses. "My Fan-Club is using one of the computers in the Science Lab to host their damnable site. We are going to find and purge it of the taint. If that doesn't work you, Suzaku, will kick it until it stops spreading its blasphemies."

"...Lelouch. We've been friends for e- er, some amount of time now. So believe me when I say I am seriously worried for your mental hea-"

"Cease your prattle!" He commanded. "The road is clear. Onward!" He stood up and ran forwards, forcing his friends to go after him.

"Oh boy. So it finally happened." Rivalz groaned. "The President infected Lelouch with the Milly Virus!"

Suzaku wondered if it wasn't best to ask for a transfer. Sure the episodes of bullying stopped since Lelouch came back...but every day after that has just turned out weirder and weirder.

* * *

Geoffrey Althaus took a deep, contented breath of fresh air as he took his customary morning stroll through his mansion gardens. He could already tell it would be a beautiful day from the dawn sunlight just barely peaking in over the grounds' walls and through its trees, and the gentle tweeting of birds only contributed to the small piece of perfection he was enjoying.

Of course, he knew his current sense of peace wouldn't last- he was scheduled for political and business meetings through almost the entire day- but that was why he took these walks. To pretend, even for just a short while, that all was right with the world.

Stopping a short way from the walls, he looked up to the sky, half closed his eyes, and smiled. It truly was a beautiful morning, with such a wonderful feeling in the air-

"Dragonblood."

-Geoffrey snapped out of his reverie the moment he heard the calm, unfamiliar voice. _'Who? No, how?'_ He thought, alarm flaring through him. This was his private estate- there should be no way for someone he didn't know to enter it! And to call him Dragonblood…

It took him less than a second to spin to face the direction the voice had come from, body already tensing and readying to fight- but the moment he saw who had spoken, he paused.

Sat on a small boulder, drinking some sort of soup out of a simple cylindrical cup, was a young girl- probably not much more than twelve years old, from the look of her. She was wearing a plain white shirt and knee length purple skirt, and had her hair cut into a bob with long bangs that reached almost to her chin and mostly covered one eye, though not enough to hide it or its companion's deep red iris. A slight shift of her head as she lowered the cup from her lips revealed enough of her features for Geoffrey to identify her as an Eleven.

 _'No, that's not right.'_ He realised after a second; he'd been in Area 11 long enough to recognise Elevens, and whilst the girl before him looked similar she definitely wasn't one. Korean, or Chinese, perhaps? Not that it really mattered; what was important was that the girl was either shockingly ignorant of the meaning of what she had just uttered, or far more than she appeared. And seeing as she'd broken into his estate, he was willing to bet on the latter.

Slowly, he began to edge his hand toward the personal alarm he carried in his pocket; even if mere mortal soldiers wouldn't be able to do much against whatever this girl was, together with him perhaps-

"Don't bother." She spoke again, cutting him off with both her words and a piercing stare. No, not piercing- that would have implied she was putting effort into it. Instead, she simply looked at him and he felt as if her gaze was boring deep into his soul. Apparently uncaring of the effect she was having on him, she continued, "One of my subordinates had your security systems malfunction, and altered the guard schedule. You're completely alone."

Ignoring her words, Geoffrey abandoned subtlety and yanked the alarm from his pocket nonetheless- but it seemed she hadn't been lying, as nothing happened when he tried to activate it. Looking up from the useless electronics to the unconcerned girl, he narrowed his eyes and demanded, "How? I have wards, checks."

"It's simple." The girl said, in that same empty, uncaring tone, before lazily reaching up a hand and tapping her own forehead.

For a moment Geoffrey simply looked at her, uncomprehending, before his blood suddenly ran cold. "No…" He said, staring at her with eyes wide as he stumbled back, sudden fear overwhelming the surge of hatred and anger he knew he should have felt. _'I, I could shout for help? No, she said the guards are nowhere near.'_ "You… you're…"

"Yes." The girl cut him off bluntly. She fell silent for a moment, apparently giving his whirling mind a chance to come to terms with his situation, with exactly what was sitting before him, before stating simply, "I'm here with a choice. Either agree to be bound by oath into my service and the service of my master, or I kill you before you can take three paces."

"You… but… why?" Geoffrey stammered, before swallowing and forcing himself to regain his composure. He Dragonblooded, and one from the lines of Britannia no less- such displays were beneath him! Steadying his footing once more, he glared at her and tried to forget his fear as he demanded, "Why come to me? Out of all the Dragonbloods, why come to me? Why think _I_ would serve you, Anathema?"

The last word came out as a hiss, but if it bothered the creature before him she didn't show it; instead, she simply raised her cup to her lips and closed her eyes as she took a long, shallow sip. A part of him insisted he should use the opportunity she was giving him, to try and run or try and kill her, but he held himself back; if she was willing to show moments of weakness to him, it meant he was small enough of a threat to her that she could afford to show them. He was still tempted to try anyway, just on the small chance it might succeed… but then the moment passed, as she lowered the cup and opened her eyes again.

"You got too close. Even if you didn't know what it was, you saw evidence of my subordinate's work." She said, her tone still empty and uncaring. "And so you must be removed. One way or another."

 _'I saw her subordinate's work? What does she mean-'_ Geoffrey wondered, before it suddenly occurred to him what she had to be referring to; a certain strange pattern of behaviour he'd noticed recently amongst some of the mortal Britannian nobles. Whilst it was nothing too far out of the ordinary, it had still been enough to catch his curiosity just a little and prompt him to probe a little deeper…

…and that, apparently, had been enough to bring an Anathema to his doorstep. Geoffrey took a moment to silently curse his own foolishness, before a possible way out occurred to him. Narrowing his eyes, he glared at the girl, clenched his fists, and said, "You're bluffing. You just want to fool me into making that oath. If you kill me there'll be an investigation and they'll just find out about you anywa-"

"No, they won't." The girl interrupted him, and the certainty in her tone made his heart sink; apparently, he was wrong. The girl's empty, unnerving gaze bored into him as she continued. "Anybody who investigates your death will find evidence leading back to one of your rivals. Anybody who becomes suspicious of that will find evidence leading to two of their rivals. If someone can see through that… well, then perhaps we deserve to be found."

"In short, the only reason you're not already dead is you might be more useful as a living servant." She concluded. Pausing, she closed her eyes and slowly brought her cup to her lips, taking another long, slow sip. Then, the moment she'd lowered it her eyes snapped open and locked onto his, and in a cold, flat tone she stated, "Choose."

For a long moment, Geoffrey considered accepting. The girl's unnatural attitude and certainty, what she'd implied about her nature… he knew without a doubt she wasn't bluffing about her intentions or her abilities. If he refused, he would die. It was that simple. And yet…

Taking a deep breath, Geoffrey gathered his courage and shook his head. "No." He said, straightening his back and standing tall and proud.

"No." He repeated, narrowing his eyes. He was of the house of Althaus- he would _not_ disgrace his family's legacy by surrendering to the monster before him. Settling down into the stance of the Golden Janissary, his voice was filled with absolute certainty as he repeated for a final time, "No."

In response, the girl simply regarded him for a moment before sighing quietly, standing, and saying, "So be it."

With a simple jerking motion, she pushed the heel of her hand up and sent her cup flying into the air- not in a tumbling motion, but simply travelling straight up. _'A distraction?'_ He thought, forcing himself not to follow the cup with his eyes. Instead, he kept his focus on the girl as she crouched and brought her hands together, obviously preparing to attack. And the next moment? She launched herself forward.

Geoffrey knew the attack was coming. He was braced, and ready. Had Charms prepared and ready to activate with a single thought. Within his limits? His defence was _perfect_.

It didn't make any difference.

There was a blur of movement, a flare of essence emptying from his reserves, a sharp tugging sensation at his waist, and then he was falling. The morning sky filled his vision, and then his back hit the floor. He immediately tried to move, knowing that lying on the floor would just get him killed, tried to stand-

 _'-oh.'_ There was really nothing else he could think as the realisation of what had just happened set in. Bending his neck, he looked down his body to where his feet had been. _Had_ been.

Now, however, his body simply ended at his waist, his blood spilling out onto the grass from the ugly wound. He shuddered as a hacking, bloody cough choked its way out of his lips, sending painful jolts through what was left of his body, before a shape moved into the corner of his vision- the girl who'd just killed him, looking down at him with empty, uncaring eyes.

As he watched, she swept her sword- a monstrous daiklave with a blade over a foot and a half taller than she was- off to the side, sending his blood flying off the edge. Then she swung it up and rested it across her shoulders, before reaching out with a hand, palm up-

-and catching the cup she'd flung into the air just before she attacked. A quick twist of her wrist caught the droplets trailing behind it and kept it from spilling, before she brought it up her mouth and closed her eyes as she took another long, shallow drink. Lowering the cup after several seconds, she breathed in and closed her eyes as an expression of contentment appeared on her face-

-then without ceremony she spun on her heel, her daiklave fading away into nonexistence as she turned her back on him, and began walking away.

The back of his uncaring killer, not even finding him worthy of the attention needed to watch him die, was the final sight of his dying eyes.

* * *

 **Lexicon:**

 **Wyld Taint:** The chaotic effects of the Wyld on beings and things of Creation, inducing random and often negative effects.

 **AN:** I really can give justice to the *snicker* giant mutated poodle without the pic. You can find the link on my profile.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN:** Almost all of the Green Sun Princes that appear in this work were made by the members in the SV thread.

 **Dislaimer:** I do not own Code Geass, which is propriety of Studio Sunrise, and neither do I own Exalted, which is property of White Wolf Publishing.

This fiction originally appeared as a quest-style story on the forum Sufficient Velocity. As such do not be confused by the strange structure.

* * *

 **The Infernal Exalts of Code Geass: Green Sun Princess Lian**

Lian wept as she ate. She loathed herself for her weakness. But she was so hungry. The hunger was all consuming.

Once upon a time she was quite happy with her life. Yes, she had her share of struggles, just as almost everyone did in the Chinese Federation. Her mother had died giving birth to her baby brother Xin, leaving Lian to raise him. Having no education she had little choice but to enter into her mother's occupation, selling her body to men to get by. Unlike many who joined the world's oldest profession she did not hate it. She was never truly beautiful, but she was pretty, so getting clients had never been an issue. She and her brother were fed, and She came to enjoy the work, both because she made her clients happy and that it just felt good, at least when the man in question was nice. The last one who had not been so nice was the cause of her current situation.

She had approached a member of the local Triad one night, offering her services. He had accepted. The night had been anything but pleasant. He had wanted far more than he had offered to pay her, and when he was done with her he had taken out a knife and horribly scarred her face for daring to resist him.

Everything had gone downhill from there. Scarred and hideous as she was, nobody would lay with her. Eventually being evicted from her home, she took her ten year old brother with her to live in an abandoned building in the ghettos. Survival had been a constant battle. One that she had lost. Unable to procure food, starvation began to claim them both. Xin had succumbed first. With nothing else to eat, her instincts took over. Her brother's body was food. By the time she was aware enough to realize what it was she was doing, it had been too late. She was a monster. A cannibal. She had failed her brother once more.

A strange voice "Why do you weep, child? There is no shame in sating your hunger."

Looking up, Lian saw them. Two beings that could only be described as giant spiders, though strangely their abdomens appeared to be giant lotus blossoms.

Clearly her hunger had finally driver her to madness, making her see things that weren't there. She laughed.

"Do you think us an illusion, child? No, we are very real, and we were sent to give you an offer." Lian simply stared silently. She was still certain she was crazy. "Our masters know your pain, child. The Yozis made this world, and yet they are imprisoned, betrayed by the very gods they created to serve them. Without its True Masters, the world is broken."

Yes... the world was broken, Liam thought. What kind of world would let her innocent brother starve to death? Those in power cared nothing for the hungry. She had seen the fat eunuchs on television, many times, holding grand feasts while so many of their own people wondered where their next meal would come from.

"All you need to do is agree to help them, and we will give you great power. Power to punish those who have wronged you. Power to bring rightness to the world."

Lian thought that quite appealing. Sure, she was crazy and this was all just in her head, but she made her decision regardless. "Alright, let's do it then."

"An excellent choice." Then, without warning the spider who had been talking leapt at her, and all was darkness.

{●}

Lian was surrounded by nothingness. No, there was wind. Wind, silence, and a pervading sense of insanity. She had thought herself crazy before, but this feeling of madness was something else. She knew that she was absolutely sane in comparison to this. And yet the wind fled, but the silence did not flee. No, the silence had brought solace and a mad serenity with it. Those left... no, they were consumed.

She had only blinked for the barest fraction of a second, now finding herself standing in a swamp unlike any she'd ever seen or heard of. But that was nothing compared to the sight before her. A giant flower was before her, strange and beautiful. Without warning, it moved, and faced her. Mouths appeared everywhere upon it, and she felt so terribly small, knowing it could devour her with but the barest effort.

 **"HELLO, LITTLE LOTUS BLOSSOM. DO YOU KNOW WHAT I AM?"**

She was frightened. Would it eat her if she answered wrongly? Would it devour everything that she was regardless? "I... you are a Yozi. One of this world's makers."

 **"CORRECT! I AM METAGAOS, THE ALL HUNGER BLOSSOM! YOU HAVE KNOWN HUNGER, AND FOR THAT YOU MIGHT COME TO THE BAREST UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT I AM. I AM HUNGER INCARNATE, AND I UNDERSTAND YOUR EVERY CRAVING, LONGING, AND YEARNING!"**

She knew it was true. She could feel this great being's hunger. It was endless. It understood what she and her brother had suffered, for it's hunger made theirs pale in comparison.

 **"I HUNGER FOR FREEDOM! YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN BY ME TO BRING THIS ABOUT! YOU ARE MINE! SATISFY ME, AND YOU SHALL BE GREATLY REWARDED! NOW GO, LITTLE LOTUS BLOSSOM, AND DO MY WORK!"**

She bowed low, for there was only one answer to give. "Yes, my master."

{●}

Feng was enjoying a night out with the boys at the local nightclub. The boss had promoted him for dealing with a string of problems that came up, and he was in a damn good mood. He was nice and buzzed, his boys were happy that they were going up in the world, and only one thing could make the night better. He needed to find himself a good woman to have his way with.

Scanning the room he was stunned for a brief moment when the most intoxicating scent filled his nostrils and a feminine pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders. Turning his head he saw her. The most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on. He knew he wanted her.

"Hi there, handsome." She greeted him in a sultry voice. She then licked her lips. "Don't you look tasty?"

This night was going to be perfect.

{●}

Nobody ever found Feng. The last anyone had ever seen of him was him going into a hotel room with an incredibly beautiful woman, likely a prostitute given his habits. The only evidence that either of them were ever there were the bloody sheets. Nobody had heard anything that happened though. Not Feng's screams of agony, nor Lian's screams of ecstasy.

* * *

 **The Infernal Exalts of Code Geass: Green Sun Prince Andreas Granados**

Madrid. 2:00 AM.

A lone man stays in his office, reading report after report.

Where? Where did the bastard go?

That was the question that Diego de Villar, chief of the military police has been asking to himself all the week. Where had Andreas Granados go? He had disappeared without a trace from his Villa, where he was under arrest, despite the heavy vigilance. He must have bribed someone, he thought. It annoyed him - he had personally chosen all the guards based on their loyalty - but it was the only explanation. Everybody has a price and Granados always was an expert exploiting human greed.

He had spent years working in the case. Since Al-Aiun. Working to prove that the disaster was caused by Granados's mismanagement, and his embezzlement of the war funds. It wasn't easy, of course. He had too many friends, too much influence in the republic's government. Enough to be considered a presidential candidate. He had needed to find the original, not cooked books, to convince the few officers brave enough to declare against him. And when finally it all worked, it has been to satisfying, to see his downfall.

But now it seemed like he had disappeared from the face of the Earth. Not a single camera had spotted him. No witnesses. Nothing. In the worst case, it was possible that he had managed to escape the country, and that he was now selling EU military secrets to Britannia.

He started the next report. The possessions found in Granados' house. Seventeen sports cars. Twenty five million Euros in cash. Three-hundred and fifteen pieces of jewelry (the man had three mistresses). A private zoo. Etc. Etc. The strangest piece of all, a human sized golden Ovoid. Foolproof evidence of his rampant corruption and lack of morals. But not a single clue of where he could be now.

"Are you looking for me, old friend?"

Santiago looked up, startled, and, sure enough, the general was _right there_ in the door. Except he was thirty years younger, and there was something _wrong_ about him.

"What the hell?" He started, just before someone - a shadowy figure who just appeared behind him somehow - grappled him, closing his mouth.

"I bet you really want to know what I was up to, right? Well, a new friend taught me some of his tricks. Let me show you one."

And then, he was covered in shadows and began to mutate, until the terrified Diego was looking at a perfect clone of himself.

"Neat, huh? I think I will enjoy your life."

And then everything was blackness.

* * *

 **The Infernal Exalts of Code Geass: Green Sun Prince Reinart Ellis**

My name is Reinart Ellis and I'm a dispute negotiator.

When two groups need to resolve a problem, they call in a neutral party, and there is no party better at neutrality than the International Diplomatic Corps of the Federated States of Australia.

As the only major nation with strong diplomatic ties to all three of the great powers and not within the direct sphere of influence of any of them, we're the preferred choice for any high-level negotiations that occur on an international level. Sometimes these requests come to us because of our reputation for neutrality. Sometimes they ask for us because the IDC has the pull to be able and willing to provide neutral peacekeeping forces for smaller conflicts to help maintain a ceasefire. Most commonly though, they like to call us in for economic disputes because they know both sides owe the Australian banks money. We're not the biggest, not the best, not the toughest, but people know that they can count on us.

{●}

 _"Reinart, this is Ethan. He's a legal expert assigned to help you with the Indonesian trade negotiation."_

There are few things in life more exciting than finally getting a chance to prove yourself. I'd handled a lot of negotiations before, many of which were bigger than the new task I'd been assigned, but for once I was going to be spearheading a job. I was somewhat tempted to feel bad as it seemed I'd only gotten the role because one of the requestees was apparently familiar with a former client of mine who had recommended me; but honestly, in a profession like mine, people thinking highly of you can come about from schmoozing or good work with no technical difference between the two.  
 _  
I looked at the man next to my boss. His appearance was youthful, but his eyes held a look I normally associated with the upper tiers of my profession and cardsharks. A cocky smile lay across his face._

The negotiation in question was the resolution of a mineral rights dispute between Britannia and one of the French-speaking territories near Jakarta. Apparently they had previously tried negotiating over the rights, but some miscommunication had occured somewhere along the line. Now the Indonesians were accusing the Britannians of trying to forge ahead without their say-so, and the Britannians were accusing them of con-artistry. Both sides had agreed to the standard split-bill for our services, but I was able to discover that it was the Indonesians who had been the ones to push for this initially. It didn't neccessarily mean they were in the right, but experience told me that it's always best to investigate those who are the most upset first. So, with that in mind _we_ set off for Indonesia.

 _Ethan smiled widely as I muttered over the pack of aeroplane peanuts that refused to open.  
"Did you seriously just say 'Gosh-darn Nut-Peas?' "  
"The proper name just sounds too euphemistic..."_

The flight passed by surprisingly quickly, and I soon found myself in Indonesia, ready to meet with the local representatives. The bureaucrats here had tried to make life difficult by shunting me off to some stiff-faced lawyer, but I knew that I'd have to meet with those on top in order to get a clear understanding of the circumstance rather than just the party line they were using for the negotiations. In the end, it wasn't that hard to remind them that I was their biggest guardian against the Britannians, and without me they'd be up shale creek without a paddle. It wasn't long before a message arrived with an invitation to a large estate where the head honcho lived, a man by the name of Wayan.

 _Ethan's grin turned smug as he considered the invitation. "Reinart, you're a very useful man to know."_

...That's about where things got confusing.

 _The security on the grounds was fairly impressive, though they let us through without much concern. I understood why when we were welcomed into the meeting room by a broad-shouldered bodyguard covered in tattoos. I was startled to realise that I recognised the tattoos-they were of the exact same kind worn by the previous client who had put my name forward for this mission. That was one mystery solved, though it only raised yet more questions. Ethan and I followed him into the room where a portly gentleman and another, untattooed, bodyguard were waiting._

 _"You're Reinart Ellis, correct? Allow me to introduce you to my employer, Mr Wayan, and my coworker, Matthias. Might I inquire who your-Aaflschk!"_  
 _I turned back to the bodyguard and watched in mounting horror and confusion as Ethan removed his blood-stained fist from the far side of the tattooed man's head. My jaw hung as I watched the corpse slump to the floor._

 _"Lunars are always so much easier to deal with when they don't see you coming."_

 _My instinct was to call for help, but I couldn't bring myself to move at all. Matthias was much faster to act, but it made little difference as a casual backhand from Ethan sent him flying into the far wall. Wayan's face tightened as Ethan primly pulled a small pistol out of his coat, a silk hankerchief keeping the blood on his hand off of it.._

 _"You treacherous bastard! Are you working for the Britannians? Don't think that killing me will crush our resistance. My people will never bow to foreign tyranny!"_

 _Ethan smiled that same arrogant smile he had been wearing the whole week._ _"It doesn't need to crush their wills. Without your negotiating skills, or a willingness to rely on foreign negotiators, your people won't be able to prevent the Britannians from accessing the Jade deposits. I'm actually quite pleased at how neatly this has all worked out."_

 _Then Ethan shot the poor man._

 _Sparked by a sense of necessity, I spoke up. "Is that what you're going to do to me? Off me like an unwitting sap in a spy movie?" Now hopefully his attention would stay focused on me..._

 _Ethan scoffed, casually discarding the pistol on the ground. "Don't be stupid. I wouldn't have pulled the pistol if I were going to kill you. **Your** fate is to die about 10 minutes from now, at the hands of the manor guards who blame you for Mr Wayan's death."_

 _...Oh sheep, he's thinking about guardsdon'tturnarounddon'tturnaround-_

 _Ethan whipped around to face Matthias' incoming charge and with a motion so smooth I barely saw it, he poked Matthias in the forehead._

 **-REALITY LURCHED-**

 _And suddenly there was a duck in front of Ethan._

 _...Yeah, I was in trouble alright. "If you're not planning to silence me, what makes you think I won't just tell everyone about how you did this?"_

 _If possible, his smile got even wider. "Oh, that's not a worry. Soon, you won't even remember me."_ _And with those final words, he picked up the body of the tattooed man, swung it over his shoulder and walked out the door with that SAME GUPPY-DARNED **SMUG** **GRIN**._

 _I looked around desperately at my surroundings. This was bad. The gun was right in front of me and it looked like there might be some violence ahead of-_

 _"Quack."_

 _My gaze returned to the Duck. Hmm. What I really needed here was proof of the supernatural weirdness that occured here, and what better than a Duck that was once a man? Besides, the fact the gun didn't have my fingerprints on it was probably helpful to my case._

 _My mind made up, I grabbed the Duck and ran for my life._

{●}

 **Elsewhere, a Pattern Spider chirped in annoyance as the thread of an individual twitched and changed beneath it. Probably a Sidereal playing around again. It wouldn't be a problem, except the thread had tangled with another that was due to end soon. Determinedly, the Spider set about putting it back on course.**

{●}

 _I huffed as I crouched behind the side of the shed. I'd managed to make it out of the building, but the security team was out in force now. The duck that had once been a bodyguard was held close to my chest, though it quivered as voices came nearer._

 _"I'm sure I heard something over here. Hurry!"_

 _Despite, or perhaps because of the adrenaline running through me, I managed to keep my cool in that moment. I plonked the Duck down on the ground in front of me and prodded it to walk around the side of the shed. Quacking loudly, it did so._

 _"It was just a duck, Margritte. The bastard's probably still inside the manor."_

 _I decided then that I liked this Duck. Waiting for them to move on, I grabbed it back up and resumed my desperate escape._

{●}

 ** _The Pattern Spider chirruped happily as it finished sorting the various threads affected by the altered Fate, only to realise the tangled thread due to end had missed it's scheduled cut-off point. The spider huffed in irritation. Still, it knew that Fate could not be denied, only briefly delayed. Death would come soon enough._**

{●}

My memory of what happened at the manor is still a bit odd. I feel like I have an idea, but all these other memories keep flowing into my head, and it's a struggle to keep sorting out the truth from the dross. What I am sure of is that something went wrong at that manor and it was because someone tried to screw me over. I had a feeling it was someone I'd been working with, but according to my boss, not only had I not been working with anyone, but I hadn't been working at all. One day I just hadn't come in to work and nobody could recall knowing anything about my trip. I was now suspended from work pending an investigation into whether I'd been misusing the company credit card to pay for air plane tickets. I'd probably have been fired outright if someone hadn't noticed that there were two tickets charged to it, and a few other anomalies.

So now, here I was in my apartment in Brisbane, trying to piece together the missing days of my life. I knew things had gone bad. I knew the Indonesians were upset with me for some reason. I knew I'd recently received a message from a heavily tattooed man I'd once had as a client, for a reason I couldn't remember. Perhaps I could look into him a bit later. I knew I'd managed to pick up a pet Duck somewhere along the way, currently sitting next to a large bowl of water near my bed. I knew there was an individual out there who had been involved somehow, an individual with a _bog-dratted **SMUG** **GRIN**._

Oh.

OH.

I'd been played! I'd been played like a flappin' Stradivarius! I'd been outwitted so badly that even a miraculous escape was still more his victory than mine!

"Ethan, you bastard! **You don't get to do this to me!** You don't get to just play around with people like this!"

"...Perhaps, I might be of assistance?"

I looked over to my left. Somehow an exceptionally large bug with an abdomen shaped like a bottle had made it's way into my house and was now offering to help me with my problems.

...At this point, I wasn't even going to let this bother me.

"...Go on."

{●}

Newspaper Clipping

Recent fears of a terrorist threat have risen in Brisbane today, as an apartment was blown apart by a sizeable explosive device. The culprit is unknown, however police suspect the involvement of a small Indonesian trade consortium. The owner of the apartment, one Reinart Ellis has not been located, believed to have been vapourised fully by the blast, however the building did contain one survivor- a small duck, who appeared to have taken cover behind a very large green sculpture made from brass.

* * *

 **The Infernal Exalts of Code Geass: Green Sun Prince Nadir Yilmaz**

There once was a foolish slave that thought it ruled over its rightful masters. This slave was not the warrior who was supposed to sear and scorch the other who were too small minded to be in proper awe of the genius that Creation was. Nor was it the shapeshifting trickster who set the Raksha up against one another, nor the quintet of seers who were supposed to maintain and manage the very system that their creators had left for them in their infinite generosity and magnanimity. This slave came to be long after the traitorous Incarnae and their ilk had instigated and concluded their rebellion against the true rulers of the universe, so ignoble and forgettable that the only reason he had a steady stream of quintessence and ambrosia flowing into his pockets was because he spent nearly all of it bribing his marginally betters for said paltry rewards.

So like the pathetic vermin that the so-called deity was, he emulated his predecessors and sought to subvert the loyal subjects of the Yozi for his own twisted, degenerate ends. Far away from his stolen mansion in Yu-Shan, the cretin wielded his magics and summoned one of the Yozi's heralds and agents. The worm, clad in orichalcum and silk and jade, desired an army with which he would smite his rivals from the shadows and an unimaginably large nest of spies which he could then use to sink his deformed and spindly claws even further into their pockets. The god desired the Teodozjia.

The plan was supposedly ingenious in its simplicity. The hive mind of the jade lions, their most feared and envied attribute, would be the vector through which he would send a subliminal attack, one that would make the demons of the first circle mistake him for their creator, their lord and master, something that he was most assuredly capable of as he was a minor god of recreational narcotics. A masterful plan, bound to succeed even beyond the god's paltry imagination if it had not been for one crucial element.

Teodozjia possess greater willpower within a single fang in their jaw than every single follower of the heretic combined.

Make no mistake, the Teodozjia didn't leave the site of the minor god's savage murder unscathed. Even as the worm was banished from existence and memory for a year and a day, the original attack had already rooted itself firmly in the demon's mind and soul, its feeble and hoarse whispers futily trying to change its allegiances to thrice-damned Sol Invictus.

For the entirety of the five day trek through Cecelyne did the poison of the soul test his loyalty and piety. For five days it nibbled at the demon's mind, yet could not even make a single other jade lion aware of its existence, so powerful and diligent was the afflicted demon.

The Demon City of Malfeas was a welcome sight to the first circle demon, who immediately sought out his progenitor, mighty Zsofika, may her hunts be blessed and bountiful.

Prostrating himself before her he begged her to destroy him, body and soul, for the spiritual blemish that the worm god had inflicted him with made him unworthy to act or speak in the Yozi's stead.

The Messenger Soul of Jacint disagreed and declared that he had gotten stronger from the ordeal, his vanquishing of the original spiritually poisonous charm of the god being proof enough of that. She proclaimed him fiercer, greater and filled with more piety to the Yozi than any other of his brethren and in honor of that bestowed him with a name.

Up until that point such a thing had been considered superfluous and meaningless for the jade lions, who were one as many, yet with their maker, the one who had meticulously crafted them from nothing saying so, there were none who even considered disputing the Kite Flute's decision.

It had been over a hundred fifty Calibrations since the Teodozjia graced with the name of Gyula came to be, a time in which he went above and beyond the call of duty to live up to Zsofika's proclamation of supremacy amongst the Teodozjias.

And now Gyula was dying.

He had been bestowed with a most noble and critical task by the Prince upon the Tower, mighty Jacint himself. Bearing the supermote that would reshape the Yozi's chosen in their own image, Gyula had sought out his champion of the Reclamation. Yet every potential Green Sun Prince that he had found had been found wanting, by dying before he could make the offer, by clearly being uncontrollable wretches that wouldn't further his masters plans one bit, by instead exalting as one of the lowly Terrestrial exalted, for Ligier's sake, one even had the temerity to taint his Primordial-designed soul with the Unconquered Sun's touch.

It went without saying that Gyula couldn't let this affront stand and had wasted no time confronting the newborn Zenith, his claws tearing into the Solar's flesh. The Golden Bull's ravaged and mauled body had managed to get away from him before Gyula would have managed to deal the finishing blow, but his Unquestionable ordained mission took priority, even over such an important matter.

Yet none of that mattered anymore. He had been met with failure far too often for too long. The exaltation he carried was not meant for demons, for it could only find purchase within the Hun soul of a worthy human. His search would end in this desert-bordering nascent shadowland, burned from the inside out from the awesome forces that the Unquestionable had implanted within him.

His glorious mane was in disarray, green light gently streaming out of the numerous bald patches that had once been covered by white, indestructible jade strings. His body started cracking some minutes ago, revealing that same glorious light that rightfully scared away the minor pests that were the local lesser gods.

Staggering, yet still imposing and graceful, Gyula felt his front left paw shatter. At the same time his swishing tail crumbled to dust and both of his hind legs fractured to the core, leaving him with no other choice than to unceremoniously crash against the scarred and shattered pavement, Ligier's glorious light drenching the surroundings, the human corpses and war torn buildings alike, with its majesty. Yet there was one on whom the light had a slightly different effect.

Whereas everything else was wasting away from exposure to the green light, one human, who the Teodozjia had mistaken for a corpse, seemed to get somewhat better, his eyes fluttering even as his intestinal tract was draped all over his legs, his limbs shattered beyond hope (as far as mundane medicinal practice was concerned at least).

Then the human opened his eyes fully and beheld Gyula in all his severely lessened glory.

"Not the weirdest thing I've seen today. Did the screaming ghosts do that to you as well?"

Hmm. The near dead human said those blasphemously denigrating words in Arabic, one of the many languages that the Teodozjia collective had mastered during the millennia. Looking closely, the man wasn't afraid or even cautious of the demon, not out of knowledge, but rather resigned acceptance, not even trying to deny what was right in front of him when he was so close to hearing and answering Lethe's call.

"Like such pests could ever manage such. No, it is my own lack of devotion and resourcefulness that have reduced me to this state. Now I will not be able to fulfil my role and must my masters wait even longer for one of their champions to come forth." It might have seemed somewhat odd that Gyula would be so open about his sacred task, but a mere mortal so close to perishing could do little harm in what little time he would have left. Besides, something about him intrigued the demon, perhaps...

"Champi... who are your masters? Where do they come from?" That gleam in his eyes that didn't belong to a near dead man, it spoke of despair and feverish want.

"Your audacity is something else human, very well. I serve the Unquestionables, the Demon Princes of Malfeas, which you might know as Hell, and through them the true shapers and kings and queens of the world, the Yozi." A brief glint of shock passed through the human's eyes, but was swiftly replaced with resolve.

"Do they possess any power over the dead, like the ghost and wraiths here?" The man didn't even blink.

"None whatsoever, the underworld is an entirely different realm than Malfeas, nor do the demons have any power over the deceased outside of our magics and sorcery." For several moments that seemed to stretch out far too long the human remained silent. Then he clumsily lurched forward, using his chin and one only somewhat busted shoulder to drag himself towards Gyula.

"Make me your champion! Grant me this power, demon!"

Such audacity, Cecelyne would have struck the knave down before he could have uttered even the second syllable of that ridiculous demand. And yet...

Was this not the ferocity worthy of a Green Sun Prince? Does he not know the sting of defeat and humiliation? And did not the Yozi, in their infinite wisdom forge a temporary alliance with the Neverborn in order to smash the Jade Prison and kickstart the Reclamation?

Maybe a little bit of blasphemy wouldn't be too bad of a sin for this mortal.

Gyula saw how the man had not stopped his crawling since making his desperate plea. He watched, even as the man's intestines had gotten stuck on a sharp piece of rubble and been split open, he hadn't stopped his advance. Even as the feces dribbled out of them, the man still crawled most pitifully. There was a metaphor there that the demon was sure went over his head, but he didn't care.

Even so, he had already made his choice.

"Human, what is your name?"

"Nadir Yilmaz."

"Nadir Yilmaz, I am Gyula, one of the Teodozjia, the lions sent into the world. Be reborn into the image of the Yozi so you may break their chains and dethrone the gods who stole their throne and crown!"

A lion's roar filled the clearing and by the time quiet had returned, the two were gone, only a giant crystalline spiked dome remaining.

{●}

(Some time before the meeting between Nadir and Gyula)

Nadir didn't know who he hated more: Cornelia li Brittania, the commanding officer of the Britannian invasion force, who had been very receptive to the idea of scorched earth tactics and employed them rather generously during her conquest of the territory of the Middle Eastern Federation or the supposed leaders of said Federation, who must have considered it a swell idea to construct their large and magnificent forts from which they would repel any and all invasions right next to their major cities and ports, you know, those things filled with people, who have this tendency to get torn apart when the Knightmares and bombs came.

No, wait, Cornelia, Nadir definitely hated Cornelia more.

If the twenty five year old caregiver had been told he would be running for his life from the maddened, critically injured people of what used to be the city of Aqaba, he would probably have decked them in the face and stolen their wallets for good measure.

Yet that was the exact situation that Nadir Yilmaz found himself inside the ruins of what must have once been a rather stylish apartment block, hiding from what seemed to be dozens, if not hundreds, of heavily bleeding and screaming citizens of a once beautiful and thriving port city.

He and so many others were meant to go to the refugee camps that had been set up near Kerak and provide aid to those who had barely stayed ahead from the Brittanian barbarity and slaughter, many leaving their homes with only the clothes on their backs.

Yet the Brittanian war machine pushed ahead without slowing down in the slightest and Cornelia's armies had waltzed over the port city as swiftly and as easily as it had the seventeen preceding ones.

And that was how one Nadir Yilmaz had ended up in this situation, the Brittanian army not even trying to maintain order here, instead pushing forward while letting the carcass of the city devour itself.

Over there was a man, blinded by all the soot sticking to his face, yelling with a hoarse voice for his wife and children, a bit further an elderly woman running in circles, searching for something in the burning ruins, not even noticing the flames.

Where was he even supposed to begin? Nadir held no illusions that there was even a single place in the city that hadn't succumbed to complete madness. There was no way for him to even hope to restore any kind of order on his own. He had to get out, coordinate with the outside authorities and stop this madness from taking even more lives than had already been lost that day.

He had lost the tiny touristic map of the city, but he remembered the direction of the nearest military encampment and should be able find a car and drive out of the city within the hour. Thinking so Nadir left his hiding spot.

As much as he tried to push his thoughts away from the subject Nadir couldn't help but look at the various victims that the Brittanian army had left behind in its wake.

Like that teen digging his fingers deeper and deeper into his scalp, the terror and horror too much for him. It was actually a minor miracle that he was able to move at all with so many pieces of rubble and other junk having dug their way in his body, especially that piece of a signpost that was... stuck... right where... the heart... would be...

He backed away faster than he had ever moved before. He rounded the corner and took off, now not paying any attention whatsoever anymore.

He must have seen it wrong. Maybe the handle was broken before entering the boy's body and it just looked like he was staked through the heart. Why, it could have actually pierced any number of non-lethal spots, like the lungs, or the liver or his spleen. No, no, calm down, there must be a reasonable explanation for this. He must be hallucinating, the stress must have done quite a bit of damage to his psyche, he's paranoid, his mind conjuring up the worst possible scenarios because of the stress.

Just like that man, shocked into disbelief from the death of his twin brother... who was dressed identically to him... and was wounded in the exact same spots as well as in the exact same manner...

No, Nononononono dear god in heaven no, stress, fear, the mind tricking itself due to an excess of secretion of certain hormones, something, anything rational please.

It was already too late by then.

He barely had time to register the maw full of fangs ensnare his right knee before ruthlessly crushing bone and meniscus alike.

A terrifying and translucent hound had snuck up on him, gnawing on his leg like it was his favorite treat in the world. Almost by instinct Nadir punched the canine on its snout and in return felt the dog's claws tear into his arm, yet the beast let go, yanking and whining as it sped away from him.

Somehow Nadir had managed to stay upright even through the pain signals that his mangled leg and arm were sending straight up to his brain. Like a man possessed Nadir limped away, yet his mind was going at speeds that would have broken the sound barrier if they had been of a physical kind. He was alert for any kind of threat, be it another mad human

or one of them, a... a... he couldn't even call them what they were in his own mind, a thrice-damned ghost. He saw them everywhere, eyeing him like a slab of meat right when dinnertime was announced. No, no they aren't there, his mind was playing tricks on him, his fears making a car seem like a gang of hungry ghosts, that piece of brick wall another hellhound.

He was right. His fears had clouded his mind to the point that everything looked like another monster out to eat him. It was true that his imagination was playing tricks on him, but that didn't mean that there was nothing out there.

For a moment Nadir leaned against a surprisingly intact wall, thinking that catching his breath would be better than stumbling around like a headless chicken.

Three quick breaths was all the time he was granted when the blow came.

It came out of nowhere, a slim stone pillar crashing mercilessly against the inner thigh of his one good leg, Nadir could feel the hip bone and the upper part of the femur be pulverized by the blow. Almost by accident Nadir managed to turn around before his leg gave out, coming face to face with a well-built, but also badly injured, man, despair and insanity dripping of his face by the gallons. And he held a large piece of glass in his bleeding hand, the broken pillar lying forgotten on the asphalt.

Like a snake he struck. The glass tore through his abdominal muscles like they weren't even there, his guts spilling out along with some blood and what Nadir hoped wasn't gastric juices.

The man struck again, but Nadir, by instinct or despair, caught the glass before it could harm him any further. The madman pulled and tore into Nadir's arm, yet he didn't let go, even when Nadir's arm was ruthlessly popped out of his shoulder.

The man had underestimated his own power and Nadir's death-like grip. His wild trashing had brought the shard of glass dangerously close to him and before he realized it, the man had slit his own throat from the trashing. Rolling of Nadir's body, he died his first death and would hopefully answer Lethe's call, yet none of that mattered to Nadir.

He had already lost consciousness.

 _"You stand at the precipice between life and death."_ A gravelly voice echoed throughout the entirety of Nadir's being, even as his body barely seemed to exist within the endless void. _"But this need not be the end for you. Cast away your mortal name, pledge your existence and devotion to the Neverborn and swear to aid us in casting the remains of Creation into Oblivion, and I will save you and grant you power like none you could have dreamed of."_

Save? Save is good, save is warm and comfortable, but Oblivion? Oblivion is cold, Oblivion is death. No death, death is the eternal enemy, the last foe to be slain. Death holds no power over me. It will not rule my life.

No.

Even though he hadn't voiced any of that, his decision, his resolve was like a cannon shot that shook the void to its very fundaments. The voice raged.

 _"You narrowminded fool! Once your body perishes I will not allow you to pass onto Lethe! You will live your unlife in the Netherworld where I will find you and torture you until the wish of the Neverborn comes true at last. Know that I am the greatest of the Deathlords, who rules over an army hundreds of thousands of war ghosts, nemissaries and nephwracks strong! I am the harbinger of your eternal doom, The First and For... no, that infernal light..."_ And with that the snarling voice disappeared with the emergence of the emerald light and Nadir, who thought that he had already died, opened his eyes.

Mere meters in front of him was a wheezing statue of a pearl-like lion, the very familiar green light pouring out of his many wounds. Nadir didn't know what was going on, but he had a rough idea and frankly, he could go for some levity when he was at Death's doorstep already.

"Not the weirdest thing I've seen today. Did the screaming ghosts do that to you as well?" It seemed that his idea of levity was due for some revisions, it seemed.

"Like such pests could ever manage such. No, it is my own lack of devotion and resourcefulness that have reduced me to this state. Now I will not be able to fulfil my role and must my masters wait even longer for one of their champions to come forth." What did the glowing lion statue say there?

"Champi... who are your masters? Where do they come from?" Could it be?

"Your audacity is something else human, very well. I serve the Unquestionables, the Demon Princes of Malfeas, which you might know as Hell, and through them the true shapers and kings and queens of the world, the Yozi." Hell was where the dead went, right? Yet the way the lion spoke of them...

"Do they possess any power over the dead, like the ghost and wraiths here?" This just might be his one ticket of avoiding his eternity of torture.

"None whatsoever, the underworld is an entirely different realm than Malfeas, nor do the demons have any power over the deceased outside of our magics and sorcery." Suspicious, there was so much that he could and probably should question, but he was out of time. There was ever really only one decision that could be made.

"Make me your champion! Grant me this power, demon!" His body no longer hurt, which frightened Nadir more than he could ever admit, so he lurched forward and crawled his way, by chin and shoulder if he had to, towards the lion. He felt his trailing intestines get caught onto something and give way. Nadir didn't care. The only thing on his mind was that he had to stay away from the Deathlord. He had to stay alive.

He didn't want to die.

"Human, what is your name?" Thank G... no, rather, thank the Yozi.

"Nadir Yilmaz."

"Nadir Yilmaz, I am Gyula, one of the Teodozjia, the lions sent into the world. Be reborn into the image of the Yozi so you may break their chains and dethrone the gods who stole their throne and crown!" And with that, just as night truly fell on the ghost town of Aqaba, Gyula roared and Nadir lost consciousness once more.

{●}

Nadir was on a beach, the waves tickling his bare feet. All around him were the still bodies of alien beings, blue skin and weirdly shaped heads. The wind howled in silence above him.

Nadir's eyes kept coming back to the semi-humanoid creatures. There was something about their faces, even with their eyes closed he could clearly divide them into two groups: those who were consumed with agonizing guilt and sadness and those who were filled with a kind of supernatural joy.

The sea suddenly pulled back for what seemed like kilometers and before the man could even consider screaming his lungs out a massive tidal wave swept everything away, drowning the small island in its entirety, except for the tiny patch that he was standing on, the water towering over him like prison walls.

 **"I gave so much of my love to them."** For a moment Nadir thought he saw a face emerge from the water, yet it was gone before he realized it.

 **"They loved me too, those silly, adorable children of mine."** This time the voice came from somewhere else, from behind/beneath/above/aside?

 **"Isn't it normal for parents and children to love one another?"**

"I certainly do and I can only hope they love me as well." Right, just give a diplomatic answer to the scary force of nature. Sound plan.

 **"Then what happens when they spite you, betray you, disappoint you?"** The face, reminding Nadir of a middle-aged woman much like a whale might be mistaken for a trout, erupted in front of him, her gaze seemingly piercing through any lies or half-truths the man would employ.

The only sound that could be heard was the gentle ebb and flow of the sea as Nadir thought about it. "Cutting them out of my life would probably be the best solution. A life without them would be preferable over trying to repair my broken trust in them." Was that the answer she wanted to hear? Nadir didn't know, so he would just have to rely on his gut feeling for this one.

 **"What has been shattered can never be truly mended,"** for a moment the sea seemed to calm down, **"but that was not their true failing. Their lives void with MY PRESENCE IS NOT PUNISHMENT ENOUGH!"** It was only then Nadir realized, the face meant nothing. He wasn't dealing with some kind of spirit traveling through the water, this being, this ur-mother was the sea itself and now she was screaming with her entire being.

Nadir now knew what it would be like if the planet Neptune was venting its stress and you were the only one around.

 **"MY SIBLINGS SLAIN, MY CHILDREN INEPT, MY SERVANTS AND TERRITORY BEFOULED AND LESSENED. MY ABSENT SCORN CANNOT BE PUNISHMENT ENOUGH. THEY MUST REPENT, ONLY AFTER A SLOW DEATH BY POISON AND ACID AS THEIR VICTORY BECOMES ASHES IN THEIR MOUTHS WILL THEY BE FORGIVEN."**

Even as the sea raged and Nadir bore witness to a reenactment of the Biblical flood he was left unharmed.

 **"Failure is a worse crime than betrayal, for they cannot even blame the outcome on their intent. Do you love your parents still?"** And just like that, it was as if there had never been a storm and the sea was once more its deceptively tranquil self.

"Even now I do." And that was the truth.

He had already figured who she was and she was even so kind as to outline what she wanted from him. How generous.

 **"Do you understand how you must show your love to me and my imprisoned siblings?"**

The thing with success wasn't that it could only be achieved through hard work or deriving some hidden, guaranteed method of attaining victory.

"If you accept me as your child, then I will honor you as my mother in the one way that could ever show you my appreciation: I will succeed."

It was never a question of how success might be attained.

 **"In that case only one question remains: Who am I?"**

"You are one of the Yozi."

 **"I AM KIMBERY, THE SEA THAT MARCHED AGAINST THE FLAME.**

 **MY BELOVED CHILD, GO FORTH AND CLEAN UP THE MESS THAT THOSE REBELLIOUS GODS HAVE MADE OUT OF CREATION."**

All you had to do, was define the problem in such a way that success would be the only available outcome.

{●}

His emergence out of the crystalline dome must have been rather impressive was the first thought that went through nadir's mind as he properly appreciated the size of the shards that had made up his cocoon. If they were any indication the alien structure must have been big enough to comfortably house three of him. It boggled his mind that these shards were all that remained of Gyula's body.

 _'What greater proof can there be of the Yozi's supernal genius than having this unworthy vessel, unable to even contain the mighty forces that their Exaltation represent, end as something so sublime? Praised be the Yozi.'_

Praised be the Yozi. Power and glorious displays were all well and good, but having all the squishy parts back where they belonged was even better. And to think all it took for Nadir to appreciate the little things in life was to get his legs crushed, his arms torn to pieces and his entrails to get all tangled in between said demolished legs.

Wonder why more people didn't try that?

According to Gyula nearly an hour had passed since he had begged for the Yozi's power, yet it felt like it had been months. With light footsteps he stepped away from the wreckage, utterly amazed at how powerful his body felt.

He could feel it, all but pulsing right beneath his skin, the power, the _speed_. No mortal man could outrun him and he just knew that only professional marathon runners stood a chance of outlasting him on foot and in water it would be more useful to compare himself to a cigarette boat than any swimmer. And if this was the purely physical side of it, how much greater must his mind now be? His skill set? And that was without even considering the magics that Gyula had been referring to. The Yozi deliver, that was for sure.

 _'Have you gotten all of that out of your system now, Peer Nadir? Because if so, may I suggest we leave this holy site which your reconstruction has modified into something truly palatable and either find some shelter or otherwise devise some strategy that would make confronting these Lethe shunning cretins somewhat easier than it would otherwise already be?'_

"Yeah, could you repeat that in a way that I don't need to spend a minute on to decipher?"

 _'Very well. What are you going to do about those ghosts? Avoid or confront, and if it is confrontation you desire, what numbers would you wish to take on at once and do you have a battlefield in mind in which you could tilt things to your advantage?'_

"That was a lot better. As for your question, I am naked, without weapons of any kind and ghosts are immaterial unless they choose not to be, unless that part of the myths is wrong as well? Either way, discretion is the better part of valor." Nadir asked, being more curious than sarcastic with that question.

 _'At night, in here ghosts are as physical as you are and I was. They still have no need for food or air or sleep, outside from the enjoyment they may derive from it, but they can be hurt and even temporarily dispersed by purely mundane efforts. Also, if you wish to leave the area I suggest you do so quickly as your leaving the Chrysalis Grotesque was accompanied by your anima totem bathing the surrounding area in Ligier's sacred light and transformed it to a more,'_ here he paused for several moments before continuing, _'respectable motif.'_

What was going on with him? No, wait, couldit be that the big strong demon thought he was being offending with his overly grand and pompous manner of speech? Nadir had no idea his coadjutor could be so damn cute.

"Gyula, there is no need for you to force yourself into using speech patterns you're unused to. So long as you don't ramble or overuse foreign phrasing you can just go back to talking like you usually do." Even though the naked man couldn't see him, he felt a sense of gratitude and relaxation wash over him and that was enough for the both of them to consider the matter closed.

Like a leaf being guided along gently by a hurricane, Nadir raced soundlessly across the empty streets of Aqaba, not even letting a single blade of grass or miniscule pebble be disturbed by his passage.

Gyula's analysis had not been proven wrong. Nadir's plan was to hide on the bottom of the Dead Sea for a couple of hours and wait for the ghosts to stop looking for him and then sneak away. He had already felt a small amount of his inner verdant power reserves, his 'essence pools' as Gyula called them, drain away, leaving him with the instinctive knowledge that he could drink lava, sleep in a bath of potassium cyanide and breathe in a bucket of hydrochloric acid and have it feel like crisp mountain air for as long as he wanted. But none of that changed anything about the dozens of armored ghosts having already encircled his position and slowly, but surely tightening the noose.

Nadir guessed he should have been surprised and confused at their presence. Their medieval warrior look was in sharp contrast with the rest of the city and its ghostly population and their obvious military training alongside their use of such outdated weapons as swords, axes and shields was a good sign that they were part of a greater, ancient military organization that was, for one reason or another, targeting him.

The most likely culprit was the one who he had rejected, who boasted about his army of ghosts, the First something or the other. Simply remembering his grave-like voice made Nadir feel like his organs were being devoured by the acid called rage, but repressed the feeling. He had bigger fish to fry at the moment.

First he would need to break through. And he already had his target in sight.

Four of the ghosts had blockaded a small alley in between two buildings, so small in fact that two of the ghosts standing side by side was enough to fill up the entirety of all the available space. As such they had to wallow through the gore of the recently made corpses, not that they seemed to mind. How convenient.

The quartet saw Nadir close in on their position and readied their weapons. With their brothers-in-arms hurrying as well, they would need to stop the Infernal's advance for less than twenty seconds before he would be surrounded. No matter how good the Exalt might be, less than an hour after having achieved his powers there was no way he could defeat all of them and escape before their lord's elite squadrons of nephwracks, mortwights and their packs of hungry ghosts would arrive and tear him apart and drag his corpus down in the deepest levels of the Labyrinth.

The war ghosts may have been right, they may have been proven wrong as so many others did when they underestimated the Exalted, regardless of their age and life experience. It all hinged on them being able to stop Nadir for said twenty seconds.

And the worst thing you could be doing when you knew that a bloodthirsty, or in this case ectoplasmthirsty, Exalt was closing in on you, was to be looking in the wrong direction.

Nadir had gotten close enough to the war ghosts that they could see his caste mark burn onto his forehead, they could see his jaw clenching and his eyes narrow in concentration, and the one in the back could most definitely feel the barbed tentacle, that had sprouted out of a shallow puddle of blood behind him, tear his back apart.

The ones in front were smart enough not to turn around and look at what had brutalized their fellow soldier, but couldn't help taking a step forward, putting them at the very edge of the entrance of the alley, leaving their wounded teammate with just one ghost as backup against the runny crimson monstrosity of a tentacle.

Nadir had reached the two remaining war ghosts with a sick grin on his face. Even as they swung their poleaxes, it was child's play for Nadir to dodge. He even had enough time to appreciate the terror-filled cries of the two in the back as the poleaxes of the ones in front harmlessly clanged against one another. The one closest to him turned around, rage, disgust and a whole lot of fear were barely hidden in his eyes. The lightly hissing sound coming from his partner's side made that one hundred percent pure fear.

A second tentacle had sprouted from the second war ghost's blood drenched boot, shredding his unprotected foot and ankle as if it were wet paper and hurled itself at the first. Despite that the second tentacle was only visible from the very edge of his field of vision, the ghost still managed to avoid the red spear of death. And then Nadir grabbed its free end.

As the only non-injured ghost had launched himself away from the tentacle Nadir had taken hold of his poleaxe with one hand and the ichor flux tendril with the other all the while bending his knees and diving like a baseball player reaching for the home base, the tendril coiling itself around the ghost's throat, its barbs flaying it easily.

From the pain the ghost let go of his shield and axe. From simple inertia the barbs tore the ghost's neck to pieces and the act of letting go of the tendril made its newly 'rebarbed' tip slice through the ghost's head, scalping him viciously before he even had time to scream.

The tendril shot back at the ghost it had originated from piercing the ghost's knee and then shot upwards, disappearing under the ghost's hauberk, yet even as Nadir made his way to the remaining two ghosts he knew that it was tearing him apart, vivisecting the undead spirit from groin to clavicula. And when the two evaporated five seconds later the tendril left as well.

Just as he had commanded the other tendril had wrapped itself around the remaining uninjured ghost's arms. Feeling the adrenaline coursing through his veins Nadir charged at the immobilized ghost, the poleaxe already in motion to separate the head from the rest of the spectral body.

The quiet whooshing betrayed the flying axe and with the ease of someone who had been wielding the axe for a lifetime Nadir slid the shaft of the poleaxe in between the blade and the handle and gently pushed it upwards and sideways, bleeding away the kinetic force behind it and letting it slide down the handle of his own axe, right into his waiting hand.

The first ghost to have gone down had clearly held strong to his own hatred for the infernal and had thrown the axe in a last desperate attempt to at least hurt him, even if it would have been only on a superficial level.

Placing the smaller axe in his mouth, biting on the handle to keep it in its place Nadir swung the poleaxe twice, showing just how much he appreciated the desperate gambit.

The four hadn't even lasted ten seconds.

Nadir looked back, the thirty or so ghosts behind him not the least bit fazed by his display in brutality and he could already spot a second group waiting for him at the other end of the alley. Ghosts were pretty tough customers when you want have them give up on something it seemed.

 _'What could one expect from such foul wretches that not only deny the very system the then-Primordials had installed to deal with such drek, but then also have the gall to not even pray to them in repentance? The denizens of the underworld are a lost cause, the lot of them.'_

No, no Gyula. Don't hold back, tell us how you really feel.

But it was true that there was no reason for him to entertain the spectral soldiers any longer. Still clenching the smaller axe between his jaw and the poleaxe in his hand Nadir took off, running down the alley at top speeds and then he jumped, planted his feet on the left wall and continued, rising higher and higher until he reached the end.

With the speed he had built up he easily managed to jump all the way to the next building, summoning a new tendril on the ground that slapped or broke the bows that some of the ghost soldiers had been carrying with them, the panic, the sudden injury and death were reason enough for him to let his gaze rest at the panicking group even as he left them biting in his dust.

And if the tendrils had enough time to take down another couple of ghosts by the time he had moved out of range he certainly wouldn't complain.

Nadir quickly left the spectral warriors eating his dust, yet he didn't slow down. For the next several hours Nadir felt like he was stuck in a hurricane of his own making, barely clinging to his own awareness of his surroundings as he ran through the dessert, swum through the Dead Sea and even dove straight to its bottom thrice, double backed, created false trails and erased others. He even had the present of mind to erase different tracks to different degrees, which would further confuse any would be trackers who would already have to follow over two dozen potential trails.

Only once he was sure that he would not be found for at least the next day did he stop, some fifty miles away from Aqaba by his estimations. It was only then that he noticed his surroundings.

"Gyula, I may not have spent all that much time in the desert, but normally speaking there wouldn't be enough light pollution to block out the stars, right?" Indeed, when he looked up the sky was void of any kind of illumination aside from a rather wan-looking moon. The only other thing of note were the numerous streams of glittering dust flowing through the sky like a thousand rivers, all going towards the same general direction. It was the light shining down from those streams that Nadir had mistaken for star-and moonlight.

 _'You are most correct, Peer Nadir. After all, by leaving the newly-formed Shadowland you have entered the underworld, a pale imitation of the glory of Creation, sustained solely by the mad and feverish dreams of the slain brethren of our masters.'_

"Wha...how? Could you repeat yourself Gyula and explain a bit more thoroughly please." The undertone of Nadir's request would have made it clear to any mortal or former human, like the Exalted, that it was not a request, but Gyula, as a demon, didn't get the hint yet obeyed regardless.

 _'Shadowlands exist simultaneously in Creation and the underworld. Exiting one during the day lands one in Creation and doing so during the night does the same for the underworld. The sun and moon you see in the underworld are artificial and the streams of essence flowing above you are prayers made manifest, meant to keep said system going.'_

"Okay, no problem, it should be nearing sunrise anyway. All I have to do is return to the shadowland, being the city of Aqaba and then leave its premises again to return to the world of the living? Doesn't sound too hard. If I run all the way I'll make it in a bit over an hour."

 _'A most splendid idea, if it weren't for the 'being in the underworld' part.'_ Gyula could feel Nadir's confusion so without any prompting he continued. _'As I said earlier, this realm, at its core, is no more than a dream of pain, misery and humiliation and like any other dream it is rather malleable. The memories of its inhabitants shape the very lay of the land, leading to the underworld being filled with anachronistic or otherwise impossible structures and phenomena as well as changing routes and landmarks constantly.'_ The coadjutor could feel his liege's dread mount and decided to wrap it up as fast as he could. _'With how far away you are from any kind of ghostly settlement, these lands would be subject to more and greater changes, making it nigh impossible to say where the nearest shadowland might be, let alone how far you'd have to travel to reach it.'_

"So you're saying I'm stuck here, doomed to wander until I die of hunger or thirst, at which point I'll still be stuck here, but as a ghost? That can't be right, there has to be a way out of here."

 _'If you had been to Malfeas and received your training I'm sure you could have left this disgusting realm with a dab application of a Sorcery spell. But as you are I suppose the most reliable way would be to follow the prayer-streams that lead to Stygia. The closer one gets to the capital of the underworld, the more settlements you will find. Those would be excellent places to gather information on the nearest shadowlands.'_

"And maybe get my hands on some clothes. Do ghosts eat anything?" Nadir was getting kind of tired from having to ask so many questions at once, but needs must and all that.

 _'Most grave goods are edible. And their currency is calcified Essence, so that would not give the Yozi's chosen any troubles restoring your essence pools.'_ Right, that was it. Nadir knew he wasn't going to keep using Gyula as his personal magic 8 ball, but he has had it with his coadjutor springing those surprises on him. It wouldn't surprise the infernal if the demon was getting some kicks out of his panicky confusion.

"Gyula, explain that last sentence. In thirty words or less." He added threateningly.

 _'Living beings cannot naturally respire or regain Essence in the underworld, the Essence flows are too stagnant and 'inanimate' for you to properly absorb and 'digest' it into your Essence pools.'_

Bravo, and only one word over the limit too.

Nadir closed his eyes and shifted his focus inwards, towards his Essence pools. Indeed, if he compared both his current personal and peripheral pools to when they were full, he was barely at two thirds of his capacity. If Gyula hadn't said what he had said Nadir would have assumed that it would have been because of all the running and other forms of exertion he had done throughout the night, but if what he had said was the truth Nadir would have to be far more careful with his essence expenditure.

While he didn't regret throwing around his essence earlier, he knew he could only afford to pull that trick three more times before being left high and dry.

Nevertheless, he had been beaten up, fought and had run more in the past twenty four hours than in the past year. So using knowledge that he was pretty sure hadn't existed in his head twelve hours prior he buried himself in the sand, so that neither the cold of night nor the scorching rays of the pseudo-sun could harm him, in such a way that he could easily breathe and generally not be disturbed or found.

Eight hours later he would wake up, dig himself out of the hole he had literally made for himself, made sure that he was caked in sand to avoid the worst of the underworld's sun's glare and went on his merry way following the prayer streams. Then, at night he would dig a new hole and the cycle would begin anew.

This continued on for three days before Nadir would finally reach a small ghostly hamlet, that at first glance seemed to be comfortably nestled inside a sprawling meadow filled with burnt out husks of primitive tanks, jeeps and even some knightmares, a lightly smoking mountain, probably a volcano, looming in the background. Yet, even though a powerful sandstorm was raging all over the landscape, the ground itself was completely devoid of sand granules.

In the distance Nadir could see a lonely farm, with two specters tilling the land like the sandstorm didn't exist.

All he had to do was go there, take some clothes, eat whatever edible grave goods were available, kill the inhabitants should it prove necessary and maybe he would even be able to figure out how to regain some essence there before making his way to the hamlet and getting some information, and maybe even a map, on the nearest shadowland so he could finally escape this dreary realm.

It seemed things were finally starting to look up.

{●}

It had no name. When it had been cowardly slain from behind it had thrown its name into Oblivion and dragged its dead corpse into the underworld, so it could inflict the same beautiful horror on the hapless shades in these bleak lands. There were two others like it, along with their master and their sixty dogs. It wanted to break its presumed equals on its claws, but then its master would be angry, its master's master would be angry and the Neverborn, well they wouldn't care at all, dreaming as they all were. But it wouldn't be able to continue the chase and for that its claws remained firmly lowered.

Their prey's tracks become more fresh by the hour, the prey no longer concealed its tracks.

Sixty four of them, sixty dogs, three hunters and the master, would soon descend on their prey.

Soon its claws would reave life and soul again.

{●}

"Okay, so I get that the Yozi Kimbery is handing out orders to further the Reclamation on me by giving me assignments such as taking out influential actors on the world stage. Like Cornelia li Brittania, the Goddess of Victory and the Witch of Brittania, who is an Exalt of her own through her bloodline, somehow. And I get that ruining her reputation as invincible and her status as one of the Empire's favorite daughters could be beneficial in disrupting Heaven's plan with controlling the world through their stooges in the Holy Empire of Brittania. But is it really necessary to destroy every one of her subordinates and every piece of infrastructure that belongs to her army?"

An axe in each hand, Nadir leisurely walked towards the lone farm he had spotted earlier. Over the course of the three days that he had mindlessly traversed the desert Gyula had talked extensively about Malfeas, about the Yozi and how important the mission they had given him was. He talked about Cecelyne, the endless desert who imposed the rule of the strong on all demons, he talked about the Ebon Dragon, Bringer of Night and the primary architect of the sundering of the jade Prison and thus also the reclamation as it is known nowadays. He talked extensively on the patron of nadir's caste, Adorjan, the Silent Wind who was once the River of Torment and the Yozi most feared by those who dwell in Malfeas as well as the one Yozi that Nadir had met already, Kimbery.

Even as he had left the dessert for a scarred and hollowed out mountain range the teodozjia filled his mind with species of first circle demons who were created to fill whatever new niche their Second Circle lords had deemed amusing or necessary.

So it shouldn't come as a surprise that the warlock had both grown more used to talking to his new compatriot, who seemed to truly enjoy answering the questions that Nadir asked him. And the questions he asked had clearly become more complex, another aspect of their budding symbiotic relationship that both the Scourge as well as the teodozjia were clearly quite happy about.

 _'Because those that serve under her would be able to apply her combat strategies and general tactical acumen even after her demise. So long as her subordinates, of which there are quite a few other Dragonblooded, are able to carry on her spirit she would still function as a martyr figure. Only the complete eradication of the entire division would suffice to end her legend and legacy. The same goes for every last weapon and piece of technology that is used under her command. The lesser gods of those objects glut themselves on the prayers directed at Cornelia, with her own consent no less. It is for that reason that the Sea that Marched against the Flame ordained you to wipe it all out, lest those traitorous Terrestrial gods might continue to grow in power and importance. And it hardly needs to be said that that would come back to 'bite you in the ass'.'_

"Which would instead leave us with a legion of 'more powerful than the norm' deities whom we would all have to kill on top of killing or subverting all her troops and destroying all the infrastructure. And I don't even have a way of permanently killing gods and spirits yet." Well, if the job was supposed to be easy the Yozi wouldn't have resorted to bringing back those who made the impossible possible.

The sandstorm that was raging somehow felt even less 'real' than the rest of the underworld, as if the sand hitting Nadir's bare skin was somehow a mirage. Just one more breeze amongst thousands.

His experiences with ghosts had not been pleasant in the slightest, but was that reason enough to forego everything else and just attack those farmers without any provocation?

On the one hand, Gyula has been rather explicit on their worth and Malfeas' stance on the denizens of the underworld and the Exalted that the Neverborn would be churning out was not unknown to him either. Then there was the whole 'release from suffering by death' philosophy that Adorjan embodied. On the other the ghosts themselves had done nothing against him, yet.

He was now barely a hundred meters away from the farm and the two ghosts had noticed him. Well, might as well try the diplomatic route.

 _'As if they would recognize the honor and act in an appropriate manner. Might as well expect Yu-Shan to not be the corrupt cesspit that it has been since the Usurpation.'_

Deciding to ignore his coadjutor for the time being, Nadir had caught the attention of the two ghosts and, with some overly grand gestures, laid his two axes on the ground.

"We don't appreciate you living folks 'round these parts."

When had Nadir crossed the Atlantic Ocean to come face to face with the unliving embodiment of the stereotypically racist and intellectually challenged Brittanian farmer? With a blank face Nadir just quietly turned to face the other farmer.

"Please forgive my grandfather, he is like that to everybody he meets." The other was a somewhat androgynous guy, or maybe a very masculine woman. "Very nice of you to put down your weapons before approaching us." Was it just him or did hir eyes flicker down for a moment? "So, what can we do for you?"

Right, best not to waste too much time here. "As you can see I've been robbed three days ago by a band of ruffians who claimed they were working for the First and Forsaken Lion, left without even the clothes on my back or any means of procuring food for the past three days. I hate having to impose on you and rely on your kindness, but is it possible for you to give me some clothes to wear and food to nourish me? I'd be very grateful."

"Typical living moochers, not even mentioning any compensation." Nadir's skill at ignoring the grumblings of the elderly was still magnificent, which of course meant that his eyebrow was not twitching erratically.

 _'Perish the thought.'_

Thank you, Gyula.

"I am afraid my grandfather is right, sir. We cannot just give food to every stranger that comes knocking on our door. We don't even have enough to cover the important festivities as it is." Nadir couldn't help but glance at the field of wheat that looked ready for the scythe. "We really can't help you. Not like it would be smart to go against the First and Forsaken Lion, even in such an indirect manner." Was that how s/he wanted to play this game?

"It is not like those brigands were truly part of the Lion's forces. For what reason would the Lion require one set of substandard clothing when he never seems to take that armor of his off?"

"No, all we have is the food and clothes offered to us by our descendant's offerings. To give those precious grave goods away would be like spitting in their face and reject our role of guiding them during though times." Nadir was about to open his mouth again when he noticed a glint in the eyes of the younger-looking ghost. Was this what Gyula meant about the rigidity and stubbornness of the deceased? While the hunger wasn't too bad yet, it's not like he could waste all that much more time with what was essentially some petty luxuries.

"I see, I apologize for having wasted your time, then." And with that Nadir turned around and walked back the way he came. He could just feel the smirk of the elder oaf and the disapproving glare of the gender-confused one. Yet they turned around and continued their work like he hadn't even talked to them in the first place.

Sighing he bent his knees and picked up the hatchet in his right hand and the poleaxe in his left.

And then buried the latter in the oaf's head two seconds later, cleaving his spectral body in twain. The hatchet flew out of his hand, decapitating the androgynous one who was sporting as blank a stare as possible.

 _'Hmm.'_

Not even paying attention Nadir made his way to the small farm, even if the clothes didn't fit, they would just have to do. As for food, even if they spoke the truth, he could just eat the grain. He might get a stomachache, but what with how unlikely that would be Nadir would just have to like it.

 _'Hmhmhmhmm.'_

Ugh, fine. You were right and I was wrong.

 _'Now say it out loud, properly.'_

"I'm sorry for ever doubting your great wisdom, oh mighty Gyula. I still need your counsel and my puny mind is like a child's sandcastle compared to one of the layers of Malfeas that yours is. I hereby acknowledge your greater intellect, but unless it knows a way for me to get access to a map to the nearest shadowland without having to converse and negotiate with one of the cretins, that is still what I must do. You happy now?"

 _'Quite happy, Peer Nadir.'_

Ugh, he would find a way of transporting objects from the real world to his mind and the first thing he would do was put a laser light in his mindscape and its light would shine right in front of Gyula and it would draw circles and he would be beyond frustrated that he couldn't catch the pretty light. And then Nadir would be victorious.

Now if only Gyula could stop snickering.

{●}

It was a pity that Gyula was not aware of all the minutiae of spectral decorum and haggling methods, because Nadir could have really used a crash course in it right about now.

Tensions had risen quite a bit since he had entered the small settlement. He had first asked a cartographer for directions to the nearest shadowland, but after she had pretended to ignore his questions twice she instead started screaming something about the greenbloods and the barony of forgotten dunes the third time around. Which was then followed up by an entire streets' worth of ghostly pedestrians running into the nearest building, only to then run back out and go in a different building. Three times.

Asking another lead to a pub-wide brawl that mostly involved jumpkicks and cartwheels and the one after that devolved into a discussion/rant on the horrors of traversing the desert on necrotech steeds built primarily out of possums. Possums of all bloody creatures.

Nadir just knew that if he didn't wrap things up quickly the dumb-as-bricks ghosts would band together and try to run him out of the place. And then he would have to kill them and then he would have to listen to Gyula's mocking laughter for even longer. And he has had enough of that for the rest of the day.

There were spots that he hadn't checked yet, small alleys and hidden corners that seemed to house the deviants of the wandering dead, the ones who didn't partake in the sheer stupidity that seemed to have the minds of the others in its firm grip.

He had tucked his hatchet in his waistband and covered it with his shirt and made sure to hold the poleaxe with the bladed end down, the blade itself pointing away from whomever he was talking to. He hoped that that would be enough to calm the ghosts down and assure them of his 'honorable' intentions, but that hadn't exactly worked out for him so far.

Shaking those negative thoughts away Nadir made his way to the streets, the first shady alley he would come across would be the one he would investigate and he would find a sane ghost.

"It's actually quite nearby, sonny." In the blink of an eye Nadir had turned around to face the owner of the voice and was met with a child, couldn't be older than ten.

"Pardon?" When in doubt, be polite. If proven unworthy of such basic niceties Nadir could always get to insulting or attacking them afterwards.

"You haven't exactly been subtle with your inquires, sonny. Shadowlands have only been popping up again for the past four or five years, so it has been something of a touchy subject for those who suddenly found themselves with a portal back to the world of the living in their backyard.

"But yeah, see that volcano over in the distance?" The boy specter pointed at the smoking mountain that Nadir had noticed at his arrival. "The shadowland is about ten kilometers west of it. You'll recognize it by the fairy circles that are spread all over the surface, mostly made from grass and stones but there are other kinds as well. Do make sure that you don't run past it, it is rather small, with a radius of about two hundred meters."

That...that was exactly the information he was looking for. After all the disappointment and ridiculousness it was just thrown in his lap like that.

"Why would you just reveal that information if it is such a sensitive topic?"

"Mostly to get you out of here and back to Creation, so you won't bring even more trouble to this place than you've already done." The kid ghost then turned around to look at the bustling street.

"Do forgive them. A ghost's sense of time is quite different from that of a living mortal, so it will be a couple of decades before they and the rest of the underworld will calm down and accept the way things are."

"You mean something aside from their crazy behavior? Or is that par for the course?"

"The emotions that they held on to with their dying breath has influenced them heavily, so they might not resemble their former living selves all that much. What you should have done was to..."

And just like that Nadir had lost all interest in the affairs of the small village. Without even sparing a thought as to why the underage looking ghost would be so much more composed than his fellow wandering dead or why he would talk about the shadowlands as if he remembered the period from before the Twin Cataclysms, Nadir turned around and walked away.

The unnamed ghost just smiled, the antics of the living was entertainment enough for him. No reason to personally get involved with the shitstorm that was coming.

 _'Peer Nadir, there is one other thing you should concern yourself with before making plans to leave this realm.'_

It was only then that Nadir noticed the new arrivals. Haggard looking, mad glints in each of their eyes, the new arrivals had surrounded him in the blink of an eye. There were over two dozen of them and more were pouring into the streets with every passing second, yet the inhabitants of the town were the ignoring them and were ignored in return.

 _'Hungry ghosts, the po soul of the deceased left unhindered by the burdens of a greater intellect. When they gather in these numbers and are placid enough that they don't start attacking anyone and anything in sight it could only mean that there is somebody that can keep them in check nearby. Will you be employing your discretion once more, Peer Nadir?'_

If he had a good idea of how far away the shadowland was that might have been an option, but out there it was nothing but plains upon plains, not the ideal place to be if you were trying to run away with an army of ghosts nipping at your heels whilst searching for a relatively tiny spot in said wasteland.

 _'And in return endanger the existence of all the ghosts who live here?'_ Gyula's question wasn't so much expressing outrage or disappointment, but almost... probing?

Even as more and more hungry ghosts showed up and closed in on him Nadir's posture was still relaxed, nothing about him gave the impression he was worried.

"It's not like they cease to exist if killed, and besides, what about the ghosts? Why should I care about them when I've had all of one neutral reaction from them in a sea of negative ones? Fuck ghosts."

That, and he had a lot of pent up aggression he just had to get rid of and if mindless hordes were presented to him on a silver platter?

The moment he took a single step the ravenous band looked up as one. By the time he had taken the second their guard had been up and by the third they roared as one and charged.

With barely a thought Nadir grabbed the arm of one of the 'innocent' onlookers and threw him at the closest group, only to see him being torn to shreds by ten hands in the time that would have taken a normal man to blink. And then they were upon him.

It was as if they had lost their previous synchronicity, their grabbing hands bumping the others away and ending up in the the open jaws of the others. Nadir didn't hesitate and buried his axehead in the chest of the closest one of them and dug his fingers in the eye socket of the smallest of the five.

His sudden intrusion broke the tangled hungry ghosts apart, one even crashing into a stall. Not letting go of either Nadir kept going forward, trampling all over one of the surprised hungry ghosts, running up the walls of a nearby building. Ignoring the screeching of his two unwilling 'passengers' Nadir jumped of the edge of the roof, vaulting in the air, swinging his poleaxe and letting the gutted, barely moving corpse of a hungry corpse forward.

In midair he landed on top of said corpse and jumped off again. The soles of his feet were bloody and the other hungry ghost was desperately trying, and failing, to get him to let it go, but that didn't diminish his enjoyment in the slightest was he saw the corpse crash on top of the wares of a weapon merchant, the cart creaking loudly under its increased weight.

Just as the other hungry ghost was about to tear into Nadir's arm with its claws Nadir whipped his arm forward, throwing the hungry ghost forward, its squished eyeball thrown away with a careless gesture.

As he landed on top of the ghost Nadir tore its throat apart with a daft application of the poleaxe and at the same time jumped off again. Its body came crashing down like a miniature comet, destroying the town well as it got buried in the underground spring.

As Nadir landed on a rooftop nearly a hundred meters away from the market street he jumped back down to the street level, easily avoiding the attention of any and all ghosts, hungry or otherwise. But as he started making his way down the streets, planning ways to make the mindless beasts and their master fear him as they should fear all of demonkind he noticed something, internally.

"Gyula, is it just me or have my Essence pools been slightly replenished since a couple of days ago? Didn't you say that that wasn't possible in the underworld?"

 _'What do you mean?'_ Then it felt like something was ruffling inside of him and Nadir could hear Gyula's murmuring and, was that whistling? After a couple of moments Gyula answered.

 _'Well, Peer Nadir, you are correct. Your essence pools have been refilled somewhat and, embarrassingly enough, I only now remember the other method that is at your disposal as far as recovering essence is concerned. The Yozi, in their infinite wisdom, made it so that, be it in Creation or its pale reflection, acting in ways that please and amuse them, gets you rewarded, filling your essence pools or reinforcing the strength of your mind and will. Should you grow a bit further in your abilities your patron and the patron of your caste shall bestow new 'options' as it were. The feared Adorjan will bless you with her dreaded winds that shred your foes apart and benevolent Kimbery aids you in healing your wounds. Essentially, doing 'awesome stuff', as the ignorant mortal masses would call it, will be of invaluable worth to your contributions to the cause of the Reclamation.'_

"Wait, so is this something exclusive to the chosen of the Yozi? None of the other exalted hosts can do this?" Because if so that would be a massive, possibly crucial, advantage he would have over the chosen of the Incarnae, Neverborn or the Dragonblooded.

 _'They have access to the same basic 'system', but cannot make use of the Yozi-specific varieties.'_

Yeah, he knew that would be too good to be true. Still, this was excellent news.

If they thought he would be easily found and dispatched of, it would only be proper for Nadir to play with his new toys. Too bad they would break.

Let's see if the Yozi give bonus points for interesting and inventive kills.

{●}

The vagaries of the Yozi would forevermore be a mystery to Nadir.

Needless to say, Nadir hadn't managed to replicate his earlier 'success' with the seven or so hungry ghosts that he had stalked and killed.

Gyula had advised him to just table it until he could bring it up with his fellow warlocks.

And it seemed like he had finally hit the jackpot.

There were three of them. The two, rather brawny, hungry ghosts were half a step behind their leader who was most definitely not a hungry ghost.

He was definitely taller than the other two, emaciated, with arms that went all the way down to where his knees were, with claws that looked like they wouldn't be out of place on a gorilla-sized sloth. The manic glint in his eyes wasn't that of a mindless beast, no, this was someone whose intelligence would not be outdone, even by a well-educated human, it's just that the only worthy application he had for said intelligence was to hurt and break whatever else it came across. The leather bandages that covered the entirety of his body were just the final nail in the proverbial coffin.

Nadir had found the ringleader.

 _'Bah, if the Deathlord only sent a Mortwight to capture and kill a Green Sun Prince, he would have killed himself by tripping into the Mouth of the Void from sheer stupidity. Do not think that this is all he has sent after you, Peer Nadir.'_

Duly noted, Gyula.

The trio hadn't noticed him, so when they walked by his position Nadir exited the shadow he had been hiding him and swung his poleaxe sideways. Unlike every other time he had used his trusty axe, this time it didn't rip his target apart. Instead the weapon's blade got stuck in the arm of the howling hungry ghost. The roaring, flailing hungry ghost who was stronger than him by a significant degree. Who had just grabbed the poleaxe with its other hand and slammed him against the wall.

Nadir barely managed to avoid getting squashed like a bug, but that didn't mean that he avoided damage altogether. If his exaltation hadn't made him significantly more capable of tanking damage Nadir was sure his ankle would have been broken as opposed to 'merely' heavily bruised.

It was still painful to put weight on that leg, but at least it could still support his weight. The injured hungry ghost ripped the axe out of its arm as its fellow made a mad dash at Nadir.

For a moment it looked like the hungry ghost was going to bite Nadir's throat off, but at the last second deviated from its path, clamping its arms and legs across Nadir's torso and left leg, which would have pulled him down if he hadn't been using the poleaxe like a walking stick.

Which was just what the Mortwight wanted. With a single shriek of pleasure he leapt forward as well, his massive claws pointing directly at Nadir's chest. The other hungry ghost looked on, cradling his injured arm as if it would help his injuries.

Nadir held no illusions on what his fate would be if he didn't stop those claws from tearing his chest apart. So he did the one thing he could still do. He fell.

As he threw himself on the ground he rotated his torso and hips as much as the clinching ghost allowed, putting it in the way of the reaping claws. The Mortwight didn't slow down and without a shred of doubt or regret pierced the hungry ghost's back with all five oversized claws. Nadir barely had half a second to react between the slackening of the hungry ghost's grip and sharing its fate.

With strength he didn't know he had Nadir threw the crippled hungry ghost off of him and jumped backwards. What would have been a death sentence instead was reduced to five wicked, but shallow wounds across his chest. With a quick motion he pulled his hatchet from his waistband and threw it at the remaining hungry ghost. Maybe it was the shock of being attacked when it had thought itself to be safe, but the ghost didn't even try to dodge or defend itself as the axe planted itself in its chest, but it definitely knew that Death has come knocking once more, going by its trashing and screaming.

That...wasn't good. That screaming would attract everyone in the town to this little alley and the Mortwight was already closing in on him again even as Nadir scrambled back up. Ignoring the painful twitching from his chest and ankle Nadir held his poleaxe in front of him. With how little space there was available in the alley he was at a distinct disadvantage with his large poleaxe and he couldn't afford to have this become a battle of endurance and stamina. His decision made him sent a trickle of essence to the skin of his chest, as a safeguard if nothing else.

The Mortwight ran like a speeding bullet, both hands in front of him. Nadir swung.

He overextended and the poleaxe was ripped in half by the claws of one hand. The other tore into the side of his ribcage. But that was what the precaution was for.

The essence had discolored his skin into an amalgam of colors, bright yellow, fiery red, deep blue and a verdant black. Kimbery's famed poison had been bubbling right beneath his skin, waiting for the fool to touch it with his bare body.

The Mortwight's scream easily eclipsed that of his subordinates as he seemingly tried to scratch his own arm off. As if that would be enough to get rid of the tincture.

Let the wretch suffer, was what his instincts were saying. The poison would just have to be enough for the Mortwight. Flexing his pectorals Nadir closed the wounds, but the pain didn't abate in the slightest.

Grabbing his throwing axe from the still corpse of the hungry ghost Nadir ran, it wasn't as if he needed to look behind him to know that there were over fifty enemies hot on his trail.

He just hoped he would hold out until he reached the shadowland.

{●}

Before, Nadir had run for three days straight at speeds no mortal man could reach under his own power, with only enough time in between to get his eight hours of sleep. And after that he had been barely winded, in fact, it felt more like he had gone on a spring walk rather than the dead run he had forced himself to.

Now he was wheezing, clutching his chest, feeling the wounds there pulsing, like a slight breeze might split them open again. His ankle was burning.

Nadir had run all the way to the volcano and had actually ascended it for quite a bit before he had stopped.

They were gathering at the foot of the mountain. Dozens upon dozens of hungry ghosts were only barely being restrained from running and climbing up the mountain. There were two Mortwights as well, neither showing any signs of being inflicted with any poison, so nadir assumed that his earlier foe had succumbed to his injuries or was otherwise incapacitated.

Not like it mattered. Nadir was going to die on this mountain. His wounds slowed him down too much. Even with the slight headstart he had had on the ghost force, they had caught up to him. Even if he continued running, the hungry ghosts would catch up and tear him apart long before he could reach the shadowland.

The start signal must have been given, because the teeming mass went forward, climbing over rocks like it was the greatest thing in the world. The one in the back, the only one to be seated on some kind of unholy steed looked at his position, as if assured that this time there would be no escaping for his prey. What had he told the Yozi Kimbery those four days ago, which felt like four decades by now? 'I will honor my mother in the only way a son could: by succeeding.' It only took four days for that vow to be shattered to smithereens. What was that about changing the conditions for victory until you have attained it by definition? That didn't just sound uncool, it didn't even make any sense.

Nadir suddenly remembered he hadn't been wearing any shoes for the past couple of days when he felt a small, cool stream trickle against his bare sole. It was lava.

Oh right, the magic that made him impervious to any sort of damage caused by liquids was still a...

 _'HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA'_

Gyula's hysterical, avalanche-like laughter stopped Nadir's train of thought dead in its tracks.

What in Malfeas' name? Do you consider my demise to be that hilarious?

 _'Hihihahehahe, do forgive me Peer Nadir, it is just that I was reminded of something I heard about nearly a century ago. You see, when Creation was still under the sole dominion of the then-Primordials, they had built into its very fabric the means for them to change it as they pleased, whether it was to isolate an area from the space-time continuum, bringing life back to wastelands the size of your country of birth or so much more. After the insurrection of the gods it was one of their exalted that discovered the means to tap into this power, naming it Sorcery and even later on discovered other, weaker plateaus of power that their lesser brethren and the gods could utilize.'_

This is hardly the time for a history lesson, Gyula. Get to the point.

 _'There was one such lesser 'spell' that had been created as a mockery of sorts to benevolent Kimbery. A spell that imitated one of her most well-known ways of attacking and slaying her foes, yet cast in the element she most despised, to the point that it is part of her sobriquet. The name given to that spell is 'Magma Kraken'.'_

The hungry ghosts had cleared the way for the two Mortwights, each and every one of them docile like a lapdog. It was rather odd how so many that had been exposed to the void of Oblivion became such attention starving, scenery chewing drama queens, but time and time again this proved to be the case. Maybe it had something to do with their belief they had to be even more dramatic and over the top than a regular ghost's passions drove them to be.

"Hihi"

The Mortwights now stood at the head of the band, the false sun shining high above them, the volcano all but announcing their glorious victory that they would dedicate to the Neverborn.

"HIHIHIHAHHAHHEHEHAHEHHAHIOHOHHHAHHHAHHAH"

For a brief second the entire war band stood still as the laughter hit them. For a moment the Mortwights thought that Nadir had finally lost his mind, yet at the same time they were intimately aware of that sensation and nothing about Nadir's body language said anything along those lines. It might have meant that they had been played for fools and had walked right into a trap. But the very next thing that happened all but confirmed Nadir's insanity to his insane crowd.

From the ground sprouted two tiny magma tendrils, barely thirty centimeters in length. And all they did was crash and grind into the earth over and over again, not even trying to attack any of Nadir's bloodthirsty foes.

Nadir continued laughing maniacally even as the Mortwights and a couple of hungry ghosts made their way towards him. Even if they had noticed the tendrils retreating back into the ground, they wouldn't have cared. The ghosts stood back some distance as the two Mortwights flanked the kneeling, hunched form of nadir Yilmaz, Infernal Exalted of the Scourge Caste and soon to be plaything of the Deathlord the First and Forsaken Lion.

They each simultaneously raised their clawed hands, like executioners before the condemned. To their surprise and suddenly newfound sense of dreaded fear, the ground rose as well.

The two would never know, but beneath them the magma had coalesced and formed a rather familiar shape and lifted a slab of earth, curiously enough one who had been weakened at the edges by a pair of magma tendrils.

The slab, holding Nadir and the two Mortwights, had been flung into the air by another tendril, its length identical to its smaller cousins, but in size? Like the Yozi herself had found a way out of the Surrender Oaths to lay waste to all who would dare harm her newest child.

The two Mortwights had lost their balance when they had been flung into the air and Nadir, who had replaced his insane laughter for a truly diabolical grin, grabbed them by their ankles and dragged them along as he jumped off of the airborne slab and into the magma, mouth wide open.

He was the only one of the three to enjoy the experience.

The moment he went underground the prodigious tentacle that he had called forth, which had already been leaning over a small cliff, lost cohesion and fell apart, showering the dozen hungry ghosts with a rain of magma. Their screams were nothing compared to the thunderous roar that the slab made when it crashed down again, the avalanche dragging and crushing another score of hungry ghosts.

The survivors hastily turned around, more than willing to abandon their fellow ghosts and their mission if it meant they didn't have to get swallowed up by the river of lava that was closing in on them.

Then the magma kraken made its return, blocking their escape path even as it came crashing down on the ground, crushing it and making even more magma flow.

What little grass and other foliage that had called the mountain home were burned from mere exposure to the massive heat. Entire sections of the volcano wer torn to shreds, dragging itself and anything on it into the molten depths of the imitation of Creation. And not even the leader, the Nephwrack who heard the whispers of the Neverborn better than any other on or near the volcano, was safe from Nadir's wrath.

Even as he tried to escape a tentacle had thrown him and his ghost horse off, into a pool of magma. His soulsteel plate armor protected him from the worst of it, unlike his steed, but even that wasn't enough to safeguard him entirely. His armor, weighing him down, hindered him from reaching the shore. He ignored the splatters of magma burning their way through his head as he, with a herculean effort dragged himself out of the pool. His otherwise already ghoulish face was half ashes and scorch marks, but that didn't matter to him. The tentacles were gone and there was a kilometer long lake of magma leading away from the mountain, to the west.

Even now he could see a tiny blip stumbling away from the volcano. He would avenge this humiliation soon enough, but first he had to take care of this annoyance.

The Nephwrack was surrounded by magma on all sides, yet the only thing he did was draw his unmarred blade from its equally pristine sheath. For a couple of seconds he allowed his fell essence to cloak his blade as his prayer to the Neverborn echoed through the underworld.

Then, with a single slash, he ripped open a portal to the Labyrinth and watched it greedily suck in the superheated earth like the drek it was.

He ran across the cool surface until he was well away from any other lava-related traps and hindrances. He inhaled sharply, gathering even more of his essence in his mouth and when it had reached its peak, he spat out the black ooze and watched it form into a hulking beast of a shadow-wolf, easily more than four meters tall. Then, without a single word, the mighty beasts shrunk, a shadow sticking to the ground, racing off to find his prey and to keep him in place until its master arrived to kill the filthy living scum; its master close behind him.

Behind them, the last pieces of the volcano's western walls came tumbling down, the gaping ravine spilling ever greater quantities of lava in its surroundings. None would come near the place for the next century.

{●}

He was nearing the shadowland.

He was now exactly nine and a half kilometers west of the volcano and was surrounded on all sides by trees. He was slowly making his way forward, looking in all directions to make sure he wouldn't accidentally walk right past his last ticket back into Creation.

He knew he had eliminated quite a number of the ghosts with his little stunt with the volcano, but he hadn't stuck around long enough to see if he had gotten them all. There was always the possibility that the shadowland was crawling with soldiers of the Lion as well, so as long as he could stay ahead of any news that told them of what had happened with the other group, the better his chances of sneaking past them.

 _'Nadir, suspicious shadow closing in at seven o'clock.'_

Nadir immediately saw what Gyula meant. A disturbingly black patch was flitting in between the trees, slithering along vines and crawling in between small cracks that a corporeal being had no business ever being in.

It leapt at him, a lupine maw making up the majority of its head.

Nadir spat lava at it. Then buried his hatchet in its head, forcing the lava further down its body. It still squirmed somewhat so Nadir shot the remainder of the lava he had been storing in his mouth at it and kicked it right where the lava landed.

His foot went right through the shadow creature as it dispersed into motes of essence.

 _'That was a product of necromancy, a shadow automaton whose sole purpose is to hunt and restrain their prey, killing if possible, but stopping them from advancing while their master closes the distance is their true task.'_

"In other words, at least one of my pursuers is still alive. And they can use necromancy, so probably the Nephwrack, correct?"

 _'Indeed. Battling one of those would have been vexing even if you were at full capacity.'_

Yet said master had already made his way all the way to the forest, his heavy footfalls like a stampede of elephants as far as nadir's ears were concerned.

Nadir ran once more.

He drew his hatchet, bent his knees and cut off grass stalks and flowers and leaves and whatever else was in his blade's way, scattering the pieces of foliage all around him, stuffing even more in his pockets.

Then a tree came crashing down beside him.

The Nephwrack had caught up with him and the servant of the Neverborn had clearly seen better days.

Half his face was just gone. Left of his nose was nothing but blackened, cracked bone, which just emphasized his original, ghoulish visage on the right. Clad in hauntingly beautiful articulated plate armor he drew a sword, a roman spatha if Nadir's guess was correct, and with a half snarl the Nephwrack charged right at Nadir.

Even wounded as the Nephwrack was, his swordplay was clearly greater than even the most talented and trained mortal swordsman Creation had ever seen, certainly greater than anything Nadir could have done. But that was only when one didn't include the Excellencies that had become part of his very soul when he had given it to the Yozi and their cause.

 _'That sword is cloaked in a powerful illusion, Peer Nadir. It is not a mortal sword, but a daiklave.'_

Gyula's warning had come just in time. Nadir now heard the wind half a meter in front of the sword crying as it got reaped, now he saw the slight shimmer that betrayed the veil covering the sword's true form. If he hadn't, his surprise would have ended with his lifeless body seemingly hanging in midair.

 _'Peer Nadir, the daiklave, just like the armor, is made from Soulsteel, a material crafted from ores mined from the depths of the underworld and the captured and smelted souls of mortals. While it is unlikely, the Nephwrack may have attuned the sword to such an extent that he might be capable of using its ability to drain your essence straight from your soul.'_

Wait, that sword could drain essence from its victims?

 _'As I said, it is unlikely that a mere specter would spent such a great amount of essence solely to have the option available, but it is not inconceivable.'_

Must. Have. That. Sword.

The Nephwrack turned around, slashing and twirling the oversized blade like it was the easiest thing in the world.

Faking a dodge in the Nephwrack's blind spot, Nadir jumped up a tree, soundlessly sprinting across the branches. A familiar and very welcome smell curled its way into Nadir's nostrils and with a smile he jumped down.

A field that seemed to have sprung up in between the dense forest. Fairy circles made of stone and flowers. The smell of life that Nadir only now realized he had missed so much.

He was at the shadowland and the Nephwrack was right behind him.

Four seconds. That was all the time that Nadir had at his disposal before the Nephwrack arrived and he used the time to cut as much grass and other grey greenery in pieces and then turned around and threw it all in the air.

The slight breeze made them dance in the air, holding them aloft when gravity would have otherwise dragged them back down below.

The stage had been set and just as the Nephwrack entered the shadowland, Nadir jumped.

The servant of the Neverborn would never know it, but allowing Nadir to jump sealed his fate. Nadir's victory had already been set in stone.

Nadir jumped and landed on one, insignificant blade of grass. The moment the Nephwrack found him, high in the air, Nadir was gone again.

The Nephwrack couldn't fly and now Nadir could.

The Nephwrack must have been chasing him ever since he had entered the underworld and Nadir's constant success in managing to avoid them or escape from them must have vexed him immensely. It wouldn't surprise the warlock if his death was the only thing on the Nephwrack's mind now.

And that single-mindedness had put him alone, wounded and half-blinded in a forest against a foe that could be anywhere, even right above him.

Even so wounded he was still too strong for Nadir to take him easily. Even as he moved without sound in corners the ghost could not have possibly been paying attention to he had been deflected by the sword. But that didn't matter.

The Nephwrack hadn't noticed that the both of them had been etching closer and closer to the borders of the shadowland. He hadn't noticed the weightless Scourge landing softly on his own outstretched daiklave.

He didn't notice the tincture filled hand brush against the back of his head.

The pain took away what was left of his sight. It robbed him of his skill and wit and he had left was wild, amateurish swings of the sword, which Nadir could have dodged in his sleep.

He punched the Nephwrack once more in the face, letting loose another dose of the spiteful sea tincture in his empty eye socket.

The Nephwrack swung sideways, hoping to catch his opponent in the chest. Nadir ducked and flew forwards, pushing the both of them over the edge, into Creation.

Ghosts that are exposed to the light of Sol Invictus are left immaterial and starved of essence. Nadir brought the glory of Adorjan once more to the surface and headbutted the somehow still material Nephwrack on its head, forcing another dose of tincture down his gullet.

The Nephwrack was blinded, yet he still saw his foe. The ring-shaped caste mark shining on his brow, the green sun flames draped over him like a glorious mantle, the light of the most hated sun illuminating everything else.

Oblivion had called him and taken his name and life so long ago. Now, with a smile, it took everything else that was him.

With the light of the real sun shining once more on him Nadir could feel his clothes and hatchet disintegrate into nothing.

"And once more I'm left naked. Gyula, please tell me this isn't going to be a recurring thing."

 _'No, Peer Nadir, I do believe that that will not happen again.'_

"What a glorious event it is for one of the Green Sun Princes to finally grace Creation with his presence after his no-doubt terribly important pleasure trip through the underworld." Before the naked Nadir stood a massive grey hound demon, its maw and spiky fur showing sparks of green fire.

"I can assure you, Chernobaalim, that there is very little in the underworld that can be considered pleasurable."

"Of course, Green Sun Prince. It is after all a failing of mine that I was unable to locate your exalted self for the past couple of days, despite that you were so close by. The underworld and Creation are just a shadowland away from one another."

"Enough, Chernobaalim. Are you to escort me to Malfeas for my introduction to the Unquestionables or have you come only to vent your petty problems to me?"

"No, Peer. The althing Infernal has assembled and reached the decision that all Princes must convene in what was once known as the country of Japan, now known as the eleventh area of the 'Holy Brittanian Empire'."

Area 11? And Nadir didn't even know where he was. The Chernobaalim, picking up on the unasked question, continued

"We are currently some hundred kilometers north of the Russian city of Volgograd. I have been assured that there is a fellow Green Sun Prince further into the European territory who is willing to ferry you along." Then he glanced at the soulsteel armor and daiklave that were just lying there. "And will you give me the honor of carrying your spoils of war whilst we make our way to your fellow Peer?" The tremendous lack of desire of the demon to play pack horse was unmistakable. Nadir didn't care.

"You can carry the armor. If my fellow exalt shows an interest in having his own set of soulsteel armor he can have it. If he doesn't I can always trade it for some favors, but pay attention to what I say next, Chernobaalim: The. Sword. Is. Mine. And. Nobody. Else. Touches. It."

The demon nodded curtly and with his tail set the armor on his back.

"By the way, you wouldn't happen to have a set of clothes on you, do you?"

With something that couldn't possibly have been a wolfish grin the Chernobaalim strutted off to a lone, abandoned shovel and scarfed it down with abandon.

Then he turned around, somehow making the armor not even rattle slightly, and from his maw spew forth a cloud of black smoke and green fire, which coalesced into a perfectly suitable set of brass and green clothes that seemed to have been tailor made for Nadir. It even included a pair of shoes!

He got dressed in less than a minute and slid the sheath with the heavy sword in his belt. Without a word said the warlock and the demon started walking.

 _'We may have gotten on a bit of a false start, but now that we have dealt with that distraction it is time to focus on the true task at hand: the Reclamation and the glory of the Yozi.'_

You're right Gyula. The underworld was in the end nothing more than a test run.

It was high time for this Scourge to show Malfeas and the Yozi what success and true victory really looked like.

* * *

 **AN 2:** I must confess Nadir is by far one of my favorite GSP. Why? His creator, exploiting a houserule I made, gave him five purchases of Intolerable Burning Truths. We have Kimbery in miniature here people, with the zoom-zoom-murder Charms of Adorjan and a hateboner for Cornelia.

Expect things to _escalate_.


End file.
